Better Get in Character
by whoevenareyou
Summary: The team has trouble trusting Bart after finding out that he lied about why he came to the past. In an attempt to reveal his secrets, they find out much more than what they bargained for. Inspired by 'Memories' by My Life. Is Limitless
1. Wally Doesn't Trust Bart

**This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction so please let me know what you think!**

 **This fic takes place a bit after mt justice was blown up. Arty is already undercover with Aqualad, and the team has already saved Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and Impulse from the Reach. The only difference is that in this fic, Batman never went to Rimbor.**

* * *

Chapter One

Wally suddenly woke up to the sound of someone rapidly knocking on the door. He rolled over in bed to check the time. It was almost 5pm.

"Babe, can you get the…" He started to call out, before remembering that Artemis wasn't home. Reality always waited a few moments to set in for Wally when he first woke up. Artemis was gone, undercover with Aqualad for who knows how long. Mount justice was gone, too. The incessant knocking at the door brought Wally back from his thoughts. He had a feeling he knew exactly who it was, which is why he was in no rush to answer the door. The knocking was constant, though, and Wally knew the noise wouldn't go away until he opened the door. He reluctantly made his way over to it.

 _I'll just tell him to go away,_ he thought, then reached out to open the door. Practically the moment the knob turned, Bart flung the door open and was inside.

"Wally West! If it isn't my favorite first cousin, once removed!" Then he promptly flung his arms around Wally in a way-too-tight-for-comfort hug.

"Again, the operative word there being- removed." Wally retorted, shoving Bart away from him. "What are you doing here?"

"Gramps wanted me to go over for dinner. I thought it'd be pretty crash if you came, too! It'd be like a regular family reunion, you know?" Bart said, practically vibrating with excitement. Wally, on the other hand, was not pleased. Barry hadn't invited _him_ to dinner in ages. He felt like he was being replaced by some kid they barely even knew.

"Kid, you have way too much energy for this early in the.. uh, evening." Wally scoffed.

"Sorry, well, we're gonna be late! Come on, let's go!" Bart was practically jumping up and down at this point, obviously anxious about the dinner.

Wally didn't trust him. He still kind of blamed Bart for Mount Justice getting destroyed, since he was the one who brought the tracker inside that let Kaldur and his people break in. He still wondered if it was just an accident. He decided he might as well go to the dinner, to keep an eye on Bart. He didn't want Flash blindly putting his trust in someone they didn't know.

"Ugh, fine. I need a minute. I'll meet you there."

"Crash!" With that, Bart disappeared out the door.

...

Barry, Iris, and Bart were all already sitting at the table when Wally arrived. He noticed that Barry looked surprised to see him.

"Uh, sorry to crash your little dinner, the kid told me to come."

"No, we're happy to have you, Wally! I just figured you'd want some space after what happened with Arte-"

"I'm fine." Wally snapped. He didn't want to talk about Artemis. Of course he missed her, but he didn't want to think about that. He was supposed to be in _mourning_ , and he didn't want to have to fake that, either. With that, Bart rushed to the kitchen and rushed back with two more plates of food.

"Here you go, Wally!" He set the food down next to where he was sitting. Of course Wally would have to sit next to this kid. He sighed and sat down. This was going to be a long night.

Barry decided to break the silence, "I was just telling Iris about when we stopped Neutron! Can you believe this kid? Only, what, 13? 14? And _he_ taught _me_ a new trick! How incredible is that? This kid is _fast!_ I mean, I know we're all fast, but Bart, you're really something." Barry ruffled Bart's hair before scarfing down another plate of food. Wally couldn't help but feel inadequate. He also couldn't help but notice that Bart didn't bother clarifying how old he was.

"Thanks, gramps! I can't believe I finally got to see the Flash _and_ Kid Flash in action! I mean... in your primes! Best time travel trip ever." Wally noticed that Bart was still on his first plate, which was... weird, to say the least, with a speedster's metabolism.

"Glad you could make it here, I just hope things don't get too messed up for you when you're finally able to go back." Flash said.

"Oh, it's crash, I figure since I'm stuck here, I might as well make the best of it! It's not bad here, really. Do you guys hang out like this all the time? 'Cause I-"

"Oh, give up the act already, kid! What's your deal?" Wally interrupted.

"Wally!" Iris scolded. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. I should go. I have to check on Nelson anyways." Wally got up and started to leave.

"Oh! Is that your dog? They don't really have pets in my era. I'll go with you!" Bart jumped out of his seat.

"NO!" Wally shouted.

"Wally!" Iris gave him a death glare, which only made him more defensive.

"What! I can't ever get a break from this kid! He's basically my replacement. I get it, he's faster than me, but you don't even know him! We already know he lied about why he came here, and he's obviously hiding something. Anyone else notice he's barely eaten?" Wally turned his attention to Bart, "Aren't you supposed to be a speedster? Aren't you supposed to know what you're doing here? Aren't time travelers supposed to come back, fix things, then LEAVE? All you've done is almost get Flash killed, get yourself captured, and screw everything up! Mount Justice is _gone_ because of _you_!" Wally slammed his fist on the table. Bart flinched hard at the sudden noise and reflexively raised his hands in front of his face, as if he thought he was about to be hit. Wally was too upset to notice.

"I'm sorry, I- I'd leave," Bart stuttered, "but the time ma-"

"Yeah, yeah, the time machine's broken. You seem more than happy to be here for someone who's 'trapped.'" Wally made finger quotes on the word trapped for emphasis.

"I just…" Bart's words clung to the back of his throat, "I just wanted to be part of the family…"

"You are _not_ my family." Wally said coldly.

"WALLY!" Both Iris and Barry snapped.

Bart disappeared, leaving the door open on his way out.

"Someone had to say it, he's hiding something. You shouldn't trust him."

...

Nightwing, Batman, Wally, Flash, and M'gann got together to discuss what to do about Bart.

"What happened at Mount Justice definitely makes him suspect..."

"He's just a kid..."

"We can't trust him..."

"We need to know if he's a threat to the team or even to the league..."

"He might open up if you just give him a chance..."

"He's lied to us before…"

"The risk of trusting him blindly is too great, especially now that we know what could be at stake…"

...

Bart had stayed the night at Barry's house, he slept on the couch, even though Barry and Iris had a guest room. He woke up to the smell of pancakes. In an instant, he was up and in the kitchen.

"Morning, grandma! Those for everyone?"

Iris laughed. "Of course, Bart. Help yourself!"

Barry had already eaten at least a dozen and was waiting for Bart to eat so he could have seconds. Bart quickly ate two pancakes and then ran back to the living room.

"The rest is all you, gramps!" Barry looked a little concerned, but who could turn down extra pancakes? Not Barry Allen, that's for sure. Once he finished eating, he went to talk to Bart.

"Hey, kid? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure, what's up, grandpa?"

"Well, not just me. There's a few people that are… worried about you. We want to make sure you're okay. Will you make an appearance at the team's new HQ today? Just to put their minds at ease?"

"Who's worried? Why?"

"We can talk about it when we get there, okay?"

"Ummm… I guess?"

"Thanks, kid. And Bart?"

"Yeah?"

"You _are_ a part of the family."

...

When Bart and Barry arrived at the team's base, Bart was immediately put off. Batman, Nightwing, M'gann and Wally were all already sitting in the lounge, waiting for them. Bart's stomach turned at the sight of Wally. He hadn't wanted Wally to know that what he'd said had gotten to him, but the truth was, it crushed him. He wasn't sure if he was ready to confront that.

"Sit." Batman commanded- or maybe offered- with Batman, there's no telling. Bart looked around suspiciously and sat down.

Barry is the first to talk. "Bart, we're all worried about you." Bart noticed the expectant looks on everyone's faces.

"No need! I feel crash!" Bat shrugged it off, not knowing what he'd just gotten himself into.

Wally didn't feel like having this conversation. He just wanted to get to the point.

"Bart, we're worried about the _future_. We know you lied, and we get that you had to, but now the cat's out of the bag. The timeline's already messed up with you being stuck here. So, keeping secrets is going to do more harm than good at this point. We need to know the truth"

Bart was silent, for once.

"Well?" Wally impatiently asked.

"I don't know what you want me to say... Yeah, I lied. I.. I thought blue was going to get put on mode, I stopped that from happening, didn't I? Flash was supposed to die, I saved him, didn't I?"

"Wait, I was-"

"Look, you're all still here, and as far as I'm concerned, that means the future's looking pretty crash, right?"

"Are you saying in your future, we're all.. dead?" M'gann asked solemnly.

"Sorry, no spoilers! I already said too much." Bart sunk into his chair, hoping they'd give it up soon. He really needed to be more careful.

"Something tells me we know exactly what _you_ want us to know." Wally accused.

"Exactly! Because everything else is not for _you_ to know!"

"Look, Bart. We'd appreciate it if you could just be honest with us now. But if you're not, you have to know, there's another way." Nightwing said, looking at M'gann, "The choice is yours."

"That doesn't sound like much of a choice." Bart looked pleadingly around the room for any sympathetic eyes. He looked to Barry, who was avoiding eye contact by looking at his own feet.

"Haven't any of you ever heard of privacy?" Bart stood up defensively. At that point, Barry finally acknowledged him by standing with him, and put a firm hand on his shoulder. Bart wasn't sure whether he was trying to be comforting or controlling.

"Please, Bart."

M'gann stood up as well, "We don't want to intrude. This is why we haven't involved the league or the team. If your secrets are harmless to us, no one outside this room will learn them. That's a promise."

Bart looked around again, realizing now what was about to happen. "Wait, you can't just-"

"Now, M'gann." Batman ordered. Bart collapsed mid sentence. Everyone looked at M'gann, shocked.

"Wait… What did you do?" Wally started to remember how M'gann could get carried away when taking information telepathically. He wasn't a fan of Bart, but he didn't want to hurt him.

"Don't worry. I just put him to sleep. It will be easier this way. For everyone."

"How long will he be out?" Nightwing asked.

M'gann paused, "Until I wake him."


	2. Bart's Memories

**I do not own young justice**

* * *

Chapter Two

"Should we get somewhere more, safe? Someone could come in at any time. Wouldn't an interruption like that throw everything off?" Flash asked.

Batman and Nightwing exchanged a look.

Batman nodded,

"Let's go."

-batcave-

M'gann brought everyone's minds into a collective, and then focused on entering Bart's memories.

 _You'll all experience these memories as if you were there, watching them happen. Of course, you won't be able to interact, but you will be able to sense what Bart is feeling emotionally, but not physically. I'm going to sift through chronologically. You'll just be shown the memories that are important to Bart._

-Memory #1-

A young bart- no older than 6 or 7- walked inside what appeared to be his home. It was an empty studio, nothing inside but a mattress on the floor, a kitchen and a bathroom. He was alone.

"Mom? Dad?" he called out shakily. No answer. He ran around desperately looking for them, the only realistic place to look was the bathroom, but no one was there, he checked behind the kitchen counter, inside the cabinets, and the closet.

The group noticed that he did not use his super speed. Bart, knowing something must be seriously wrong, had no idea what to do. He threw himself on the floor and curled up in a ball. That's when he noticed the corner of a small piece of paper sticking out from under the mattress. He pulled it out to find a note.

 _Bart,_

 _The house is not safe. Get out now._

At that, he ran out of the house, this time using his super speed. He ran to another neighborhood and stopped behind a dumpster, and started hitting himself in the head. "Stupid! Stupid!"

Then he briskly _walked_ several blocks to a familiar house and knocked anxiously on the door. The group was shocked when an older Wally West opened the door to a sniffling Bart.

Older wally knelt down, "Hey, kid, what's going on?"

Bart sniffled and struggled to get the words out between sobs "They found- I think they- mom and dad are gone and-" Wally quickly pulled bart inside and closed the door.

"Your parents are gone?" Bart wiped his eyes and nodded.

"Bart, don't worry. I'm sure they're fine." Wally didn't look convinced by his own words. Neither did Bart, so Wally continued, "Hey, it's okay, you can stay here. I'll take care of you, okay? They won't find you here. No one is going to hurt you, I promise." Then he pulled Bart into his arms in a hug.

Wally saw through the window a few Reach soldiers patrolling the neighborhood. "Kid... _please_ tell me you didn't run here..." Bart started crying.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I ran a little. Only part of the way!"

"Bart, we need to go. Now."

-Memory #2-

The group found themselves lost in a large crowd of people. Bart, looking about 8 years old now, seemed to be trying to fight his way _out_ of the crowd, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard a blood curtling scream. Bart definitely recognized that voice.

"Mom?!" Bart shouted. Another scream came from somewhere in front of the crowd.

"MOM!" He managed to push through the sea of people and made his way to the front to see 8 people lined up, all handcuffed with bags over their heads and on their knees. 8 Reach soldiers were standing behind them. A Blue Beetle much larger than the one the team recognized stood in front of the crowd, pointing at the prisoners.

"The traitors you see here are to be executed for harboring metas. This is what happens when you try to be a hero."

"No…" Bart whispered.

Then the world began to move in slow motion, like it so often does for a speedster. The soldiers removed the bags from the prisoner's heads and stood in front of them, aiming their guns. Bart met eyes with his parents for a moment, tears already rushing down his face. It had been over a year since they had gone missing. What happened to them? His mother mouthed the words 'run,' and with a wave of Blue Beetle's hand, they were all shot dead.

And Bart ran.

-Memory #3-

Bart, now about 10 years old, had just spent a whole day scavenging for food on his own. He was reluctant to come back empty handed, but he couldn't stay out much longer. The sun was starting to come up, so he headed back. He walked inside what looked to be an abandoned home, looking down, ashamed. "Wally, I'm sorry. I didn't find anything today, but I'll go back out as soon as I get a chance."

"It's okay, kid. Actually, there were more arrests than usual today," Wally paused, looking guilty, "so I found some food that no one's gonna miss."

Bart threw his arms around Wally in his signature way-too-tight hug, "You're the best, Wally! What'd you find?"

Wally squeezed back even tighter and stood taller, lifting Bart off his feet in their hug, then answered as he put him down, "See for yourself! It's all in the kitchen cupboards."

At that, Bart ran into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets. Four cans of food, two apples, and a bag of rice. Bart's eyes got a little misty and he laughed, "Wally, this is so crash! This could hold us over for a week! You're the best! Can we have some now?"

 _Wait, a WEEK?_ Flash was shocked. For a speedster, that was barely enough food to last a few hours. And there were _two_ of them.

 _I guess… that explains why he doesn't eat much._ Wally commented, feeling ashamed.

 _And why he attached himself to your hip as soon as he got here._ Nightwing thought, forgetting that everyone could hear him. Wally pretended to ignore the comment and turned his focus back to Bart's memory.

Bart stood back up, holding the apples, not noticing that Wally hadn't answered his question. He was still focused on the food. "Can I have one of the apples?" Still no answer. Bart ran back into the other room and instantly froze when he saw Wally laying face down on the floor in a small, but growing, pool of blood. Before Bart could react, a squad of Reach soldiers stormed in from the hall.

"On your knees!"

Bart's legs gave out and he fell to his knees in shock. Or maybe he was just tired of running. The soldiers didn't hesitate to shove bart to the floor and slap an inhibitor collar on him. Bart didn't protest. Then the butt of one of the guns hit him in the back of his head, and the world went dark.

-memory limbo-

The time in between memories was starting to get longer. The group had been hanging out in the dark for what felt like a full minute.

 _Uhh, shouldn't we be seeing something else now?_ Flash asked. M'gann responded.

 _He's resisting me, somehow. This must not be his first time dealing with a telepath. I can get through, but if he keeps fighting me, it might hurt him. Whatever comes next, he clearly doesn't want us to see it._

 _Maybe we shouldn't then. We don't want to hurt him, and I think we've seen enough, haven't we?_ At this point Wally was ready to let it go. Batman, however, was not.

 _No. What comes next is exactly what would reveal where his loyalties lie. We saw him get captured by the Reach. He could still be under their control. M'gann, can you do it without leaving any permanent damage?_

M'gann nodded

 _Then keep going._

-Memory #4-

Bart woke up, lying on a table, unable to move from the neck down. Standing over him was a Reach woman in a lab coat and a surgical mask. There was a smaller table next to her topped with an assortment of tools that looked to be meant for torture. Knives, drills, a lighter? Plenty of tools no one recognized.

Bart started to panic, he was hyperventilating and looking frantically around the room.

"Don't worry." She said almost soothingly. "We'll take that collar off you soon. We need you to be at your full potential for this, but you do need to stay put…" She turned her focus to the other table. There were four metal cuffs, about three inches wide and almost an inch thick. None of them were attached to anything, they didn't even have a chain _to_ attach them to anything.

She picked one up and closed it around Bart's wrist. She repeated this process, attaching a cuff to both wrists and ankles, speaking to him as she did.

"A speedster can vibrate their molecules fast enough to escape most restraints, so I've prepared something special for you." _click_

"I would be fascinated to see what the limits of that ability might be. Tell me," _click_

"Can a speedster vibrate through restraints that lie _underneath_ the skin?" c _lick_

She then pressed a button on a translucent screen in front of her and the cuffs pulled each of Barts limbs towards the corners of the table until he was outstretched. He winced at the sudden movement.

"Wait! Please-"

He was cut off when she pressed another button. None of the group could tell at first what exactly it did, but it sent Bart into a screaming fit. Seconds later, they all noticed blood seeping from underneath all four cuffs, and the veins in Bart's hands and feet became visible, like they'd been filled with something. The woman in the lab coat seemed annoyed.

"Quiet, meat. We haven't even begun testing yet. I need to concentrate." She swiped two fingers across the screen and the table responded to her command. It seemed to create an extension of itself, growing metal from behind Bart's left ear and wrapping itself over his mouth and around to the other ear, effectively quieting him and securing his head in place in the process. Only then did she reach for Bart's neck to remove the collar.

 _Woah, is that table organic? Like the bioship? Must be from Mars..._ Wally thought. M'gann was concentrating too hard on the memory to answer.

"That's better now, isn't it?" The woman asked.

Once the collar was removed, Bart immediately tried to break free, but any attempt to move was met with searing pain from the restraints. The woman didn't seem to notice, she turned her attention to the assortment of tools on the other table. She slowly waved her hand over each tool, seeming to be conflicted about which one to use first. Finally, she picked up a blade from the table.

"Why don't we start with the easy one, and work our way up, shall we?" Bart let out a muffled whimper at that thought. Tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes.

"Please, let's not pout. This won't be pleasant, but your work here could save lives! We just need to learn a _little_ more about that regenerative healing thing that you do so well, alright?" With that, she plunged the knife into Bart's shoulder and he screamed through the metal gag. He was practically vibrating as she pulled the knife out, which made his wrists and ankles begin to bleed again.

 _I don't want to watch this anymore. Can we just go to the next one?_ Wally felt like he was going to be sick.

 _I'm with you. We don't need to see all of this._ Flash added.

M'gann looked to Batman, who nodded his approval.

-Memory #5-

This memory was recent. Bart looked about the same age he was now, so it was probably within his last year. He was tied to a chair, collared and gagged. His ankles and knees were bound together, and his hands were tied behind his back. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and his legs looked broken. For some reason they didn't let him heal before putting the collar on him. He sat in front of a blank television screen.

A dark figure suddenly appeared next to the TV. Another speedster, it seemed. The room was too dark to see him clearly.

He spoke, in a deep and grimey voice that sent chills down even Batman's spine.

"You must think you're special. Most meat break within the first hour, they rarely need my help with that anymore. But I'm more than happy to help _you..._ " He took a step closer to Bart,

"Until you got here, no one had ever even attempted escape. And all of a sudden, they're disappearing left and right. I wonder what it's going to take for you to tell me how you managed that."

In an instant, he was inches from Bart's face. He firmly pulled Bart's hair back, forcing him to make eye contact. He pulled the gag from Bart's mouth.

"I want names."

The group couldn't help but notice that this memory felt different from the rest. They were all plagued by an overwhelming sense of fear in every other memory. In this one, Bart wasn't afraid. Instead, they all felt a burning, deep rooted hatred towards the man in the room. More intense than any of them had ever personally experienced.

Bart just glared at the man silently, rivaling the harshness of the infamous BatGlare™. Ignoring the question earned him a swift punch to the jaw. He looked back up and spit blood right in his captor's face. The man calmly put the gag back in Bart's mouth.

"We'll do this the hard way, then." He pulled out a remote control.

"You know, it took us years to find you. Even after we killed your parents…" He paused, gauging Bart's reaction, "That's right. I'm the one who found them. I'm sure you have plenty of questions for me about that. Haven't you ever wondered what happened to them before their executions?"

Bart's eyes widened.

"Well, I might be able to provide some answers for you. Like I said, I'm happy to help. Especially when it comes to _you_."

The man pulled out a pair of full sized headphones and placed them over Bart's ears while he struggled. Then the screen turned on.

At that point, the memory started to blur. The group couldn't see what was going on on the screen, but they could hear what Bart was hearing. Screams rang through all of their ears.

 _What's happening?_ Wally looked at M'gann.

 _I.. I don't know? We should be able to see what's going on. I think he's resisting me again, but he shouldn't be able to-_

Then they were all shocked to hear what sounded like Bart yelling faintly, but it wasn't coming from the memory.

 _No! You don't get to see this!_

The screams started to fade, too. This time Bart's voice was clear.

 _Get. OUT!_

Batman, Flash, Nightwing, M'gaan and Wally suddenly found themselves back in the batcave, their minds no longer connected.

"How did he.."

Bart suddenly regained consciousness. He shot up into a sitting position, gasping for breath. There were tears in his eyes and his nose was bleeding.

Then he was gone.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next up... BLUEPULSE! I can't wait to update this. The next chapter is almost finished, so it should be up soon!


	3. Pinky Promise

Bart wasn't sure he knew where he was running, he just knew he needed to run. Far. Fast.

He eventually found himself in El Paso, and he realized there was only one person who he wouldn't mind being around at the moment.

Jaime.

He ran straight to Jaime's bedroom window. He could just vibrate in, but he didn't want to intrude. Instead he threw a pebble at the window and waited.

A groggy Jaime opened it and looked surprised to see Bart.

"Bart? Is everything okay, hermano? Do you know what time it is?" Bart didn't. He had no idea how much time had passed since M'gann knocked him out.

"Um, time to chill-ang with your favorite future boy?" Bart was trying to be charming, but Jaime could tell something was off.

He sighed, "Okay, but only if you tell me what's wrong."

"What? Nothing! I'mfinewhywouldyouthinksomethingswrong?"

Jaime shrugged, "Suit yourself." Then the window closed.

Jaime waited, half expecting Bart to just vibrate in anyways. When he didn't, Jaime begrudgingly went back to open the window. Bart was shaking, he looked like he was about to cry.

"Hey, ese, sorry, I was just joking. Get in here." Jaime turned around and went to sit on his bed. The next moment Bart was sitting next to him, leaning on the bed post. He was quiet for a few moments, then let out a sigh.

"Jaime, I think you're the only one here, I mean, now, that doesn't hate me."

"What? No one hates you, Bart, what are you talking about?"

"They do. They all hate me." Bart's voice shook slightly.

"Bart. What are you talking about? Who hates you?"

Bart paused, deciding whether or not he should tell Jaime everything. He finally answered, "Flash, Wally, Nightwing, Batman and M'gann… They told me they were worried about me, but they just didn't trust me, I guess. They… they raided my memories, Jaime." Bart's eyes were starting to water. "M'gann made me relive the worst parts of my life by putting it all on display for them like some twisted movie."

Bart pulled his knees in towards his chest and buried his face between them.

Jaime didn't know what to do. He'd never seen Bart this messed up before. He tried to think of what Bart would do to comfort him if the roles were switched. Bart was definitely a hugger, right? Jaime awkwardly wrapped his arms around Bart, which, to his surprise, made Bart jump. Jaime quickly pulled away.

"Sorry. It's just, you usually go in for hugs- I thought you wanted- I didn't mean to get in your space." Jaime didn't know why he was so nervous all of a sudden.

"No, no, it's okay! You just surprised me. I guess I'm just not used to someone else doing the hugging." He laughed nervously. The truth was, Bart hadn't really known what it felt like to be touched in a way that wasn't violent. Jaime was the only one who had even tried to do that in years. "Sorry, Jaime. You can hug me if you want to."

[The Impulse's reaction to your attempt at de escalation indicates that he is afraid of you, Jaime Reyes. This makes the Impulse a threat. Eliminate him!]

"No! I don't want to!" Jaime said defensively.

"Oh…" Bart slumped down, wanting to disappear, "Sorry, I thought.."

"Bart, no! I'm sorry, I was talking to the scarab." Jaime laughed and wrapped an arm around Bart and squeezed him in a side hug. Bart laughed weakly.

"You had me there for a second. What'd it say?"

Jaime hesitated, "Umm… It says you're scared of me."

"Oh…" Bart looked down.

Jaime continued, "What you relived today, what everyone saw in your head, it was me, no? I… I hurt you, didn't I?"

Bart kept his eyes down, but answered meekly.

"Well... yeah. I mean, no, I know it wasn't really you."

Jaime felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He couldn't imagine himself ever hurting Bart. He reached his hand out to Bart's, who instinctively pulled away at first, but after a moment, he took Jaime's hand and let their fingers intertwine. Bart hadn't expected physical contact to ever be so simple, so harmless. He hadn't expected to like it. He looked at Jaime and let the corner of his mouth turn up into a half smile.

"This is kind of weird, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I've never done this before." Bart said, gesturing towards their hand holding. "It's weird. When I came here, I thought I was going to kill you. But you weren't… you. You aren't the blue beetle I grew up running from. It's weird that I came here to kill you, but you're the only one here that trusts me. You're Blue Beetle. I was a slave to Blue Beetle for years. Blue Beetle took away my childhood, my parents, my whole life. But you? You're the only one here that cares for me. And here we are. It's... kind of weird."

Jaime was quiet for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Bart." He rubbed his thumb in circles on the back of Bart's hand. "I feel terrible. I can't stop wondering what happened. I hope it's okay for me to ask… what did I do to you, Bart?" Jaime looked pleadingly at the speedster.

"Can we talk about something else? I don't want to think about the past.. err... future, anymore."

Bart had been trying not to cry, and he knew he wouldn't be able to contain his emotions if he had to relive any more trauma. Jaime shifted his body to face Bart, put both hands firmly on Bart's shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze.

"Bart, I will _never_ hurt you."

"I know?" Bart's voice shook, he wasn't convinced.

"Good. Because you need to know." Jaime said, still holding on to Bart's shoulders. He looked caringly into Bart's eyes, "I promise you, no matter what, I will never hurt you, Bart."

In that moment, the tears that had been threatening to show themselves all day finally escaped down Bart's cheeks.

"You can't promise that."

Jaime then moved his hands from Bart's shoulders and wiped the tears away with his thumbs, then cupped Bart's trembling face in his palms.

"I don't care. I'm doing it. I promise, Bart. I will never hurt you. I will never hurt you. I will never hurt you. I'll say it as many times as I have to." Jaime said, still holding Bart's face in his hands.

For some reason, hearing those words brought everything that had been pent up to the surface, and Bart cried, hard. Maybe because of the way Jaime looked in his eyes when he said it, or because it was exactly what he needed to hear, or because he wanted so desperately to finally feel safe. He let himself fall into Jaime's chest, and Jaime wrapped his arms around Bart while he sobbed. Jaime rubbed circles into Bart's back, trying to calm his sporadic breathing.

Bart had worked so hard for so long to stay strong that he'd forgotten until that moment what it felt like to completely trust someone. He wept in Jaime's arms until he ran out of tears. His breathing eventually evened out and his eyes slowly dried, then he pulled himself back and looked up at Jaime.

"I know you can't guarantee that..." Bart finally said, wiping away his tears. "But for some reason… I believe you." Their faces were almost one, and Bart found himself staring at Jaime's lips as he spoke.

"Here, I'll pinky swear so you know it's real." Jaime smiled.

Bart tilted his head, "Uh, pinky swear?"

"Yeah, it's like, a way to really solidify a promise. I'll show you, here." Jaime held out a pinky for Bart, who got the hint and wrapped his own pinky around Jaime's, and they shook on it. "There, can't go back on a pinky swear." Jaime smiled, hoping he'd cheered Bart up at least a little.

Bart looked slightly disappointed, "That's it? I was expecting some kind of intense witchy ritual or something."

Jaime smirked devilishly, deciding in that moment to make it more interesting.

"Well, a pinky promise is legit. But if you really want to be sure, we can do a super ultra mega pinky promise." Bart raised an eyebrow.

"Okay…"

Jaime held out his hand with both his thumb and pinky outstretched. Bart followed suit.

"Bart Allen," Jaime grinned, "I will never ever hurt you." They interlocked pinkies once more. Then Bart looked to Jaime for what to do next.

"So then you just.." Jaime mumbled, and pulled his thumb toward his mouth and gave it a quick peck with his lips.

Bart did the same, "Ha, that's adorable."

"Not done. You gotta seal it, here.." Jaime leaned his thumb forward and guided Bart's thumb towards his own with his other hand. Bart watched as they pushed their thumbs together, then Jaime pressed their still intertwined hands against Bart's chest and held them there for a moment, feeling Bart's heart beat quicken. Jaime used his free pinky to slowly tilt Bart's chin up so their faces were almost touching.

Bart could feel Jaime's suttle breath on his mouth as he whispered, "One more thing," then leaned forward enough for their lips to meet for only a moment. He smiled and looked into Bart's doting eyes, "I pinky promise."

...

Bart's face turned bright red and he giggled. That's right. He giggled. His diaphragm betrayed him and he giggled. His hand immediately shot up to cover his mouth. He'd never been kissed before, and his automatic reaction was to freaking giggle! He might have been more embarrassed if he wasn't so smitten.

Jaime was definitely loving this. He could tell from Bart's eyes that he hadn't stopped smiling, even though he was still covering his mouth. "You're so cute when you're nervous. Do you know that, cariño?" Then he gently pulled Bart's hand away from his mouth and gave the back of his hand a few quick kisses.

"I'm not nervous. I'm... happy. Okay, maybeI'malittlenervousIjustreallylikeyouandI'venever-"

"Bart, slow down, I don't know what you're saying." Jaime laughed, still holding on to Bart's hand.

"Sorry. Okay. I'm a little nervous. Just a little."

"It's okay, me too," Jaime admitted, then kissed the back of Bart's hand one more time, "Can I kiss you again?"

Bart blushed and nodded enthusiastically. Jaime tenderly cupped the back of Bart's neck and leaned in. As a speedster, Bart could not take the suspense of how outrageously long it was taking for their lips to do the thing, so before he knew what he was doing, he scooted practically into Jaime's lap and planted his lips on the boy. Bart may have scooted in a little too fast, though, because it knocked Jaime off balance and they fell to the floor, Bart on top of Jaime.

They both laughed in between kisses, and then just snuggled on the floor for a few minutes. Jaime nuzzled Bart's cheek with his nose, "I adore you, Bart Allen."

Bart's face reddened again. His cheeks were starting to feel sore, he probably hadn't stopped smiling since their first kiss. "You're amazing, Jaime Reyes."

...

Bart and Jaime eventually made their way back to the bed. Jaime leaned against the bedpost and Bart laid down, resting his head in Jaime's lap. Bart kept catching himself dozing off. It would be morning soon, and he hadn't slept since the night before. Not to mention, he was exhausted from the extreme highs and lows from this emotional rollercoaster of a day.

He wanted to stay awake, though. There was nothing he wanted more than to enjoy his current company. This was the first time since Bart could remember that he actually felt safe. Maybe the first time ever.

"It's okay, you can go to sleep if you want to." Jaime said, running his fingers through Bart's hair, massaging his scalp. Bart closed his eyes and finally let himself relax, but still attempted to argue.

"No... it's okay… I'd rather… talk to…"

He was drifting into sleep mid-sentence.

...

It was only moments later that he abruptly awoke with an overwhelming adrenaline rush,

caused by the all-too-familiar feeling of an inhibitor collar being placed around his neck.


	4. Captured

_It was only moments later that he abruptly awoke with an overwhelming adrenaline rush,_

 _caused by the all-too-familiar feeling of an inhibitor collar being placed around his neck._

...

"No. No!" Bart jumped out of the bed and backed himself up against the wall while Jaime stood and suited up immediately.

"You- you tricked me?" Bart couldn't believe he'd let his guard down with the freaking Blue Beetle. Of course he tricked him.

"Nothing personal." Blue said, while firing up his plasma cannon.

Bart Didn't care that he didn't have his speed, he ran and leapt for the window. Blue fired a cable that wrapped itself around Bart's ankles midair, and yanked him back into the room, dragging him across the floor. He pressed his knee into Bart's back to hold him down, then leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"Milagro is asleep in the other room. If she wakes up for whatever reason, I've been instructed to kill her, so I'd come quietly." Bart could have sworn he heard Jaime's voice quiver at the thought of killing his little sister.

Blue pulled Bart's arms behind his back and handcuffed his wrists and ankles. Then he walked over to the window to make sure it was closed. While Blue turned his back, Bart struggled to pull himself into a sitting position. He desperately tugged at the cuffs behind his back.

Blue turned around, "Even if you get yourself free, what are you going to do? You can't defeat me, not without your speed. Not even with your speed."

Bart continued to struggle hopelessly, he could already feel blood on his wrists from pulling too hard. He didn't care.

"You said you'd never hurt me..." Bart pleaded, hoping Jaime was still in there somewhere.

Jaime-or blue beetle, not Jaime anymore- didn't answer.

"You said you'd never hurt me!" He begged, unable to mask the fear in his voice.

"And I keep my promises. _I'm_ not going to hurt you. I'm going to leave that to someone else. An old friend of yours, I hear."

There was only one person Bart knew who was capable of time travel without a time machine. But it couldn't be. He couldn't be _here_. He couldn't be here _now_ , could he? Bart's heart dropped as realization dawned on him.

"No, please! Please, Jaime, if you're in there, you've got to help me! He'll kill me, you know he will! He'll _kill_ me, Jai-mmph!" Bart was in a full blown panic attack when Blue covered his mouth with one hand. With his other hand he injected a syringe into Bart's Neck.

Darkness began to close in around him. The last thing Bart saw was Blue Beetle's expressionless face...

Then Bart finally fell asleep.

...40 years in the future...

"Curing me, and saving Flash's life, that's only the beginning."

"I know, Nathaniel. Big mission. Lots to do. Better get to it." Bart slid on his goggles.

Concealed and from a distance, Blue Beetle and Zoom observed Bart get in the time machine and disappear.

"Follow him." Blue Beetle commanded. And Zoom was gone.

-Jaime POV-

"No... it's okay… I'd rather… talk to…" Then Bart was asleep.

The scarab's voice rang through Jaime's mind for only the second time that night.

 _I am sorry, Jaime Reyes._

 _For what? Wait, why can't I talk?_ Jaime panicked as he felt his body begin to move without his permission. He reached under one of his pillows and pulled out an inhibitor collar.

 _No! Who put that there? Stop!_

Jaime was terrified at the idea of someone else having been in his room, or maybe _he_ put the collar there and didn't even know? Had he been on mode this whole time?

 _I must follow my programming. You are no longer in control, Jaime Reyes._ Jaime heard the slightest twinge of guilt- was that even possible?- in the scarab's voice. Then he unwillingly put the collar around Bart's neck, which immediately woke him up in a panic. Jaime couldn't even close his eyes to keep from watching as he was made to easily overpower his best friend.

 _..._

"You said you'd never hurt me!"

 _I don't want to! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Don't make me do this, please!_ Jaime shouted in his own mind, but found himself saying something else, "And I keep my promises. _I'm_ not going to hurt you. I'm going to leave that to someone else. An old friend of yours, I hear."

Jaime had no idea what he was talking about, but there was no mistaking the panic that immediately took over Bart.

"No, please! Please, Jaime, if you're in there, you've got to help me! He'll kill me, you know he will! He'll _kill_ me, Jai-mmph!" Jaime watched as his hand- _his_ hand- press harshly against Bart's mouth to silence him. He barely noticed that he was pressing a needle into Bart's neck. A few tears slowly drifted from the corners of Bart's eyes before he finally closed them and went completely limp. Jaime probably would have been crying, too, if his body would respond to any of his needs.

A moment later another speedster, who Jaime had never seen before, appeared in from of him. The man looked satisfied at the sight of Bart's restrained and unconscious body on the floor.

"Gratitude." he said, before hoisting an unresponsive Bart over his shoulder.

Then they both disappeared.

...

Bart woke up with a throbbing headache. He was blindfolded and still had the collar on. He'd been tied in a standing position with his arms and legs outstretched in each direction. His wrists were raw and throbbing from holding his weight since he'd been unconscious. He regretted now that he struggled so hard against the cuffs Blue Beetle put on him, or else he might be in a little less pain at the moment. Aside from the aching pins and needles, he could barely feel his arms at all. He tried to shift his weight onto his feet, and noticed that it felt like his ankles were chained to the floor, he couldn't move his legs any closer together, which made it difficult to balance. Before long, he found a pang of panic coming on again, and he tried to talk himself out of another anxiety attack.

 _Okay, breath. This isn't real. This can't be real. It's just a bad dream. You're in the past, you saved the Flash. You saved Jaime. You have plenty of food. You can run whenever you want to. You just have to… wake up!_

Then he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Ah, so he finally awakes… I've been waiting for hours, and you know I'm not a patient man."

Bart instantly tried to mask his fear. He took a deep breath before attempting to play it off, "Maybe next time you should consider that before having me drugged. And is this really necessary?" Bart retorted, pulling on his restraints, "You got me collared. You're fast. I'm obviously not going anywhere."

"Even without seeing me, you recognize me. So glad to have made such a... lasting impression. Even so, I've learned not to underestimate you, so I decided to take the proper precautions." Bart could hear the mocking smile on the man's face. He braced himself for the inevitable punishment he'd surely receive for his attitude. Instead, he felt his blindfold being pulled off, and found himself staring face to face with his abductor.

"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with." Bart made it a point to hold eye contact. He wasn't going to show any fear.

"Really? You think so low of me? What kind of man would I be if I were to kill my own family?" He paused, letting his words sink in.

"My mom was your family, too. That didn't stop you.. from…" Bart trailed off, his words came out much more fragile than he intended them to.

"Ah… so you _did_ know about me. Well, your mother made that choice herself. A choice you'll soon have to make as well. I don't want to kill you… though I will if I have to, that will remain completely up to you."

"...What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want you, Bart... Together, we could be unstoppable. We'd be legends. Think of what you could accomplish with me by your side. I can teach you everything I know. You'll be faster than the Flash… You don't need to make up your mind just yet… I have said I'm not a patient man, but you might just be worth waiting for."

"If that's what you want, why get Blue Beetle to do your dirty work?" Bart's voice cracked again. The mention of Jaime stung more than Bart thought it would.

"It just so happens that the Reach and I are mutually benefitting from your…predicament. But that's enough talking for now," he vanished and reappeared with a roll of duct tape. He then ripped off a piece and pressed it firmly over Bart's mouth, who groaned in frustration. Bart hated being gagged. He was used to his words getting him out of -okay _maybe_ sometimes into- bad situations. Not being able to move was scary enough, but the added feeling of helplessness that came from being muted took away any illusion of control Bart might have thought he had on his circumstance.

"Smile for the camera, Bart."

* * *

AN: Okay, so this is following the story that Zoom (aka Eobard Thawne, aka reverse flash) is Bart's maternal grandfather. I know in the comics he's really like Bart's great uncle or something, but it was never really specified how exactly they were related, and Bart's timeline makes no sense anyways (I mean, he can't be from the 30th century AND Barry Allen's grandson from 40 years in the future), so I decided to take some liberties


	5. Call me Professor Zoom

Most of the team was at their headquarters. With the exceptions of Kaldur, Artemis, Jaime, and Bart. Jaime told them he had a family problem to take care of, but he was really with the Reach. Even Kid Flash was there, ready to get back into the swing of things, at least until Artemis was safe.

Batman began briefing them on the situation, projecting images related to the mission on a large screen, when it suddenly turned to static. After a moment, the screen began playing a video. A man was standing in front of the camera.

"Batgirl, track this signal." Nightwing ordered, and Barbara got to work.

"Wait… Is that-" Wally thought he recognized the man from Bart's memory. It was hard to tell since the memory was pretty hazy, and he was wearing a different suit now, similar to the Flash's suit, but the color scheme was reversed. He definitely looked familiar, though.

"That's not possible, is it?" M'gann seemed to be thinking the same thing. She looked to Nightwing, as if he would know.

"What? Who is that?" Connor demanded. No one answered.

The man on the screen was the only one to acknowledge Connor's question. "You can call me Professor Zoom." He responded with a sinister smile. "I believe I have something of yours." He stepped off to the side to reveal what was behind him: Impulse, still tied up in the same way, with an inhibitor collar on and duct tape over his mouth. Zoom pressed a button and electricity from the collar surged through Bart's body, causing him to spasm uncontrollably.

Nightwing immediately radioed Flash, "Nightwing to Flash. Get to the team's HQ. Now. There's something you-"

 _Recognized: Flash 04_

"-need to see.."

The man on the screen chuckled, still holding on to the button that was electrocuting Bart.

" _You!_ Let him go! What do you want?" Flash demanded.

"Patience, _Flash_. You don't need to worry about that just yet. You'll find out in due time. For now…" He finally let go of the button, and Bart struggled to catch his breath. Then he firmly grasped Bart's face in one hand, and Bart tried to jerk away from his grip. "I think I'll enjoy some overdue… family time." He stroked Bart's face with the back of his hand, "You'll hear from me soon."

"Bart! We will find you, I promise!" Barry shouted.

The man on the screen looked pleased, "Oh, I'm counting on that…" he then directed his focus towards Bart, "Alright, I'm feeling generous. This might be your last chance to say anything to your little friends at all, so… any last words?"

He pulled the tape from Bart's mouth.

" _Don't_ look for me! It's a distraction, the Reach-" Then Professor Zoom disappeared from Bart's side, and the screen went blank.

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments until Flash spoke up.

"Did you track the signal?"

"It's no use. It's blocked." Batgirl answered.

"You heard what Impulse said. It's a distraction. Nightwing, decode the message. Everyone else, back to business."

"Wait, are you kidding? We have to look for him!" Wally snapped. "And what message?"

"Bart's blinking pattern was irregular. Looked intentional enough. He knew we'd be watching, he might've been trying to tell us something. I already downloaded the video. If he sent us a message, I'll figure it out now." Nightwing answered, then turned around and began studying a silent version of the video, which was being projected from his wrist computer.

"So you think he knows where he is?" There was a glint of hope in Flash's voice.

"He said not to look for him, so even if he does, I doubt that's what he's trying to tell us." Nightwing said, still studying the video.

"Well, you're the detective, how do we find him?" Wally demanded.

"We don't." Batman said coldly, which gained a strong reaction from almost everyone on the team. Wally, Flash, Connor, Cassie, Malcolm and Beast Boy all immediately protested. In seconds, everyone was shouting at each other, arguing about what to do.

"Enough." Batman wasn't yelling, but his firm voice was enough to silence the room, "Impulse came here from the future for the sole purpose of stopping the Reach. Would any of you want to be the one to explain to him why we looked for him instead of stopping them? This should not be a hard decision. We save one person, or we save the world."

Everyone was silent. As much as they hated it, Batman was right.

Nightwing turned around and looked up from his screen. "Blue on mode. That's the message. That's why Blue Beetle isn't here. The Reach is controlling him. I'm betting he's the one who kidnapped Impulse. Team, we have our mission. We may not be able to save Bart, but we can still save Jaime."

...

Zoom turned the camera off and turned to Bart, "Clever boy. I really shouldn't be surprised."

It hadn't taken much for Bart to put together why the Reach would want him out of the way. With Zoom here, they would know he had come from the future to stop them. The only reason they would send the team a video would be to try to shift their focus from stopping the Reach to saving Bart.

"It wasn't hard to figure out... It's not gonna work, though. Next time, you should try kidnapping someone who will actually be missed. They won't look for me." Bart hadn't meant to sound bitter, but there was no concealing the resentment in his tone. This only seemed to please Zoom more.

"Yes, well, the Reach may have miscalculated your popularity with the young heroes. Although, the Flash seemed troubled enough." He didn't try to hide the delight in his voice at that comment. "It makes no difference to me. Let's say no one looks for you…" he began walking in predatory circles around Bart as he continued, "I can be very hospitable. I'd be more than happy to accommodate your extended stay… at least until you make up your mind about my proposal. I doubt any of your little friends will come looking, but I'm willing to bet there's one person who might. And if he does..." Zoom was standing behind Bart now, whispering in his ear, stroking his hair in a manner meant to intimidate. "then, I'll finally get to kill the Flash."

Bart yanked his head away from Zoom's touch, any fear he'd been feeling before quickly turned into anger. "Don't _touch_ me!"

Zoom was unfazed, pleased, even. His hand made it's way back to Bart's hair and continued stroking tauntingly, "I can do _anything_ I want to do to you." He zipped in front of Bart, tightening his grip on the boys hair. Bart shut his eyes and tensed up. "And you can't do a thing about it, can you?"

Bart was fuming. He refused to let anyone make him feel powerless. Without thinking, he headbutted Zoom with all the force he could muster, hoping he'd broken his nose. When blood began to pour from it, he gave Zoom a satisfied grin. His gloating was cut short with several powerful punches to the face in a matter of a split second. Now it was Zoom who was grinning.

Bart checked the corner of his lip with his tongue, taking in the taste of copper for a moment before spitting his blood at Zoom's feet.

"How unfortunate. It looks like you're going to make this difficult." Zoom said, wiping the blood away from his nose. "I had hoped to keep your suffering to a minimum, but I think we both knew that wasn't going to be possible. Not with someone like you. Sometimes one needs to be completely broken down, reduced to nothing, before they can finally be repurposed. I can have you begging me for death in a matter of days, but I think you'll find I can be reasonable. When you want the pain to stop, all you have to do is say you're ready. Then I'll know you've made your decision, and I'll allow an end to your suffering."

Bart didn't hesitate to answer. "There's no decision to make. I'll _never_ work with you."

Zoom just smiled, disappeared and came back with a baseball bat. He zipped behind the camera and hit the record button once again.

"Let's get started, then."

* * *

 **AN: I have a pretty clear idea of where I want this fic to go, but I'm always open to suggestions! What questions do you have that you want answered? Any suggestions for stuff you really want to see put into the story?**

 **As always I really really appreciate the reviews! Thanks especially to Flashgirl and i-am-my-own-queen ! Your feedback keeps me going (also, PMs are blocked so I couldn't thank you personally) :)**

 **Sorry for the short chapter, the next one is almost done so there won't be much of a wait!**


	6. Broken

**chapter summary: Jaime deals with his guilt, and Zoom tries to break Bart.**

 **AN: Since the team saved Jaime in the show, I'm not going to write that part out in detail, instead I want to show more of the aftermath of that. Just picture the rescue going exactly the same, except instead of Impulse, it's Kid Flash. The first part of this chapter takes place right after Jaime is taken off mode. Carry on.**

* * *

Jaime sat slumped forward in his seat, trying to avoid eye contact with Black Canary, who was sitting across from him. He'd had other sessions with her after some particularly bad missions, but this was different.

"I can only imagine what you must be going through right now. How are you holding up?"

Jaime only blinked at her, saying nothing.

"I'm sorry. Maybe that wasn't the best question to ask. I'm sure this must have all been pretty horrible for you."

"Horrible for _me?"_ Jaime snapped, "It was horrible for everyone else! I hurt people. Bart is missing because of me! He's probably being tortured as we speak, and you're worried about _me?_ "

"I know it's hard not to feel guilty about what happened. But it's not your fault, Jaime. The Reach used you to get to Bart, they are the ones to blame for this."

"That doesn't make it any better!"

Canary clasped her hands together on her lap and leaned forward a bit. "Jaime, you haven't told anyone what happened. Maybe it would help if you talked about it. You know you can talk to me, nothing leaves this room."

Jaime looked down at his hands and thought for a moment before speaking up. He felt bad for yelling at Canary, he was just so mad at himself. "Lo siento, I didn't mean to yell at you… it's just, Bart was my friend. He was my best friend. He was… it doesn't matter now. I should have seen this coming. I didn't even know I was on mode until it was too late. I should have _known_. I was just so distracted. Bart was so upset when he came over the other night. They let me comfort him. They let me… ugh! I didn't know, I swear I didn't know!" Tears began to fill Jaime's eyes as he spoke.

"They could have made me betray him sooner, but they waited until he completely trusted me. They took advantage of him, and of me. I was totally in control one minute and the next I was putting a collar on him. I tied him up and drugged him and handed him off to Zoom… and now he's gone, and I don't even know where he is or what Zoom is doing to him. They let him cry on my shoulder. They let me tell him I would never hurt him, and... _I'm_ the reason his guard was down. _I_ made him feel like he was safe. I did that. Not the Reach... _me_. So, please, don't tell me it's not my fault..." He trailed off and covered his face in his palms.

Black Canary leaned forward even more and comfortingly reached out her hand to Jaime's knee.

"The Reach took advantage of your feelings, Jaime. That's not your fault. There was no way you could have known what was going to-"

Jaime stood up before she was finished, "I can't do this, I'm sorry." And he left the room.

…

Jaime went straight home after his unfinished session with Black Canary. He didn't want to face his teammates just yet. They'd probably be more than happy with him leaving. After everything he'd done, he was sure they wouldn't want him anywhere near them. The only company he really had was his Scarab, who had been almost completely silent lately for some reason. The scarab only made his presence known one time since they went off mode, when Jaime had woken up from a nightmare about being on mode again. He heard the scarab's voice explaining that it was 'simply a fabrication' of his mind. Scarab assured Jaime that he was fully in control of his body now, and when Jaime calmed down, Scarab went silent.

Jaime told himself he didn't mind the silence. He told himself it was better this way, that he felt more 'normal' without someone else in his head, but the truth was, it was weird not having Scarab challenging his every move. It was lonely, especially now.

He eventually decided to address it.

"Hey, Scarab, you there?"

It was a few moments before there was an answer.

[I am here, Jaime Reyes.]

"Ah, okay. I was just wondering, since you're so quiet lately."

Another uncomfortably long silence. It occurred to Jaime that the scarab must have actually been thinking about what to say next.

[My presence has caused you discomfort.]

Now it was Jaime's turn to be silent. Did Scarab really care about his level of comfort? Nothing was really surprising anymore, but he hadn't been expecting that. A quiet scarab actually made Jaime much less comfortable than a talkative one.

"No one else is talking to me. I don't need you ditching me, too, scarab."

Another few moments of silence.

[Khaji Da.]

"What?"

[I address you by your name, Jaime Reyes. You address me as scarab. That is not my name.]

"Okay. Well, it's nice to, uh, meet you, Khaji Da." Jaime couldn't help but smile. Even if Khaji Da wasn't quite as talkative as before, he was still around, and he wasn't going anywhere.

...

Their conversation was cut short with the sound of rapid knocking at the door. It was too fast for a non-speedster, which made Jaime's heart stop. He lit up and ran for the door, stumbling on his own feet on the way there.

A lump formed in his throat when he opened it to see Wally, not Bart. He knew there was no way it could have been Bart, but for some reason, that familiar fast knocking got his hopes up.

"Hey." Jaime said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Hey. Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." He opened the door wider to let Wally in. They both sat down on the couch. "What's up, ese?"

"I know we're not supposed to go looking for Bart, but we can't just give up on him. There has to be a way we can save him and stop the Reach, right? Do you know where he is?"

"I'm sorry. Zoom is the only one who knows where he is… this is all my fault, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"Not your fault. But you have to know _something._ Please, just tell me what you know, even if you don't think it's important."

Jaime sighed, "Okay. I don't know anything about what happened to Bart, but I know a bit about Zoom. He was kind of obsessed. He wouldn't let anyone else touch Bart, or even get close. They have a long history, Zoom and Bart. I know his real name is Eobard Thawne, and I know he's Bart's grandfather." Wally's eyes were wide in shock, he just stared at Jaime, waiting for him to continue. "He also goes by the Reverse Flash, he's from the future, too, he time travels a lot, mostly to make the Flash and Bart miserable. He might hate Bart even more than he hates the Flash, since Bart is a living representation of both everything he hates _and_ everything he is. He's descended from both of them, so Bart represents both the Flash and the Reverse Flash, and Zoom can't stand it. That's all I know."

"I have to tell Flash." Wally was about to leave when it looked like he started getting a message in his comm. Jaime hadn't been wearing his since he'd gotten back. Wally looked nervous, "Okay, I'll be right there."

"Everything okay, hermano?"

"Batman called an emergency meeting at the Hall. We should get over there now. You coming?"

Jaime nodded, then they both headed out the door.

-Bart pov-

Bart had been drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like a few hours now. He tried to focus enough to assess his injuries, but he could barely stay awake. He knew his legs were broken, and both his kneecaps were probably shattered. He definitely had a few broken and bruised ribs. Zoom really did a number on him with that bat. Still, he knew it could be worse. His jaw and both shoulders got dislocated, but Zoom popped them back into place. It was better in the long run, but it still hurt like hell. His shirt had been cut off, so he was having trouble keeping warm. He was laying on the floor in a room with no windows. He was never really comfortable here, but he learned to cherish his alone time. It was much more pleasant than the alternative.

Bart vaguely noticed the door opening, but was too tired and in too much pain to care. He closed his eyes and drifted off again. Zoom walked in and knelt down in front of Bart, tapping his face with a cup, and Bart's eyes flickered back open at the sensation.

"Hungry?" He held the cup for Bart to see. It was a clear cup with a straw coming out of it's lid. The fluids inside were thick and green. Bart tried to sit himself up, but his arms were still tied behind his back and he could feel several of his broken ribs disagreeing with him. Instead, he just nodded his head in response. Then Zoom grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a sitting position, a little less forcefully that what Bart had expected.

"Drink." he put the straw to Bart's lips and Bart slowly sipped, careful not to choke since he hadn't had anything to drink or eat since he'd been kidnapped- he guessed it had been a couple of days.

"Thanks." Bart croaked, and Zoom left him alone again.

...

The next time the door opened, Bart found himself being dragged somewhere else before he was able to process what was happening. Before he knew it, he was kneeling over a large bucket of ice water with Zoom's firm grasp at the back of his neck.

"Are you ready to join me yet?" Zoom's grip on Bart's neck tightened, silently threatening to dunk his head under the water. Bart said nothing, and barely had time for one frantic inhale before being immersed in freezing cold water. He fought as hard as he could against the unyielding hold, but it was no use. Before long, though, he was pulled back up for air.

"I'm waiting." Zoom taunted, but he really didn't wait. Before Bart even got in a single breath of oxygen to answer the question, he was being dunked back into the icy water. Bart thrashed about as much as his bound body would allow, but he couldn't get any leverage. His lungs were screaming for air, and darkness was creeping it's way into the edges of his vision when he was finally yanked out of the water.

Once Bart was done coughing and gasping for air, Zoom spoke. "You know I'm not a patient man. Answer me."

Bart was shivering now, he took a deep breath, knowing he'd need the oxygen. "Go to hell, Thawne."

As expected, he was shoved back into the water. His lungs were too exhausted by now to hold his breath for long, and Bart involuntarily inhaled a mouthful of water in a last ditch effort to fill his lungs with _something_. His body convulsed as he coughed, desperately trying to expel the water from his lungs, but it only caused him to let more water invade them. Every cough was followed by a violent gasp, pleading for air that was just out of his reach. Finally, the darkness began to creep in again, offering a stillness that Bart gladly allowed to engulf his body…

…

Everything was calm, now. Bart could no longer feel the grip behind his neck holding him down.

He couldn't feel the ache of his broken bones or the freezing water he was immersed in moments earlier. He felt like he could breath effortlessly, even though he didn't need to anymore. There was no pain.

He felt a soft touch on his cheek and a warmth beneath him, and he noticed he was being cradled in loving, familiar arms.

 _'Mom… is that you?'_

She smiled down at him, beaming, and stroked his hair.

 _'It's me, Bart. I'm here.'_

Bart let himself sink into her hold and burrowed his body in her embrace.

 _'I've missed you, mom… so much.'_

 _'I've missed you too, honey. More than you could ever know. I can't believe how much you've grown.'_ She laughed softly. ' _We've been watching over you from a distance, your father and I, we couldn't be more proud of you...'_

She wiped a few happy tears from Bart's cheek. It was true that Bart had grown since they last saw each other, but being back in his mom's arms made him feel like he was a small child again.

 _'You and dad? Is he here too?'_

 _'He's here, just on the other side. I sensed you were close, so I came to meet you here.'_

 _'So that means... I'm dead... aren't I?'_

 _'Don't be afraid. Not yet, love, but soon. You're in between, for now. You can stay here with me if you choose to. There is no pain here, that will all be behind you, but you won't be able to go back. Is that what you want, Bart?'_

 _'More than anything…'_

 _'Then you need to cross over soon. Take my hand.'_

Bart took his mother's hand in his own and they stood. She gestured towards a small glimmer of light in the near distance, and they walked in that direction. Bart felt a sensation in his soul that he couldn't quite name. It was warm and bright and it made him feel weightless, and the only word that came to his mind was, _home._ After spending all his life running away, he finally felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. The closer they got to the light, the more at home he felt.

They stopped suddenly just before reaching it, and his mother turned to Bart with a sad look in her eyes. He couldn't feel her hand anymore. The _home_ feeling was fading, and the light started moving further away from them.

 _'Is this supposed to happen? What's happening, mom?'_

 _'I'm not sure, Bart. It might not be your time just yet…'_ her figure began to fade away.

 _'No! I want to go with you! Mom! Please don't leave me!'_

She had already disappeared, but he could still hear her voice faintly,

 _'I love you, Bart. So much. When it's your time, I will be here.'_

Then Bart was engulfed by the darkness once more, and all the pain came rushing back. He suddenly felt the need to _breathe_ again.

The next thing he knew, he was hacking out spurts of water with Thawne's hands pressed against his chest.

He was being resuscitated.

This was the second time Zoom stole his mother from him.

He pulled Bart back up into a kneeling position as soon as he was conscious.

"You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, did you? Say it."

Bart hadn't stopped coughing, but the grip behind his neck tightened and he felt himself being pushed down again. He couldn't do this again.

"Wait!" He spat out between coughs, "I'll say it! I'll say it!" But he was too late, his head was swallowed up by the icy water once more. But he knew he wouldn't die. Not again. Not yet. Zoom wouldn't let him have that kind of peace. He _couldn't_ do this anymore. He tried to avoid that inevitable gasp for air that would surely come soon. Luckily, he was pulled back up after only a few seconds this time.

He was shivering uncontrollably now, unable to hold still. But he _couldn't_ go under again, so he answered weakly under his breath before Zoom had a chance to ask again.

"Louder!"

"I said… I'm ready." He was still trembling, but as his breath steadied, he began to speak with more conviction. "Just… tell me what you want me to do."

* * *

 **I'm sorry I'm sorry!**

 **What do yall think, am I too cruel?**

 **again, I'm open to any suggestions for things you want in the story! Just let me know :)**


	7. Failed

Chapter 7

When Wally and Jaime got to the Hall of Justice, most of the team, and some of the league, were already there. Batman was already speaking to everyone, so they tried to tune into the conversation as soon as they got there.

"...we put our unwavering trust into every member of the league and the team, but, as you all know, allegiances can change. Ever since the league was formed, I've prepared certain… failsafes… in case anyone in the league needed to be, well, contained…"

Most everyone in the league had already known that batman would be prepared to take any of them out if he had to, but it was news to most of the team. No one was bold enough to challenge Batman, so they all either stood in silence, waiting for a further explanation, or mumbled their thoughts to each other. Batman continued to speak over the murmurs.

"There is a failsafe for each league member. Every superpower has a weakness, and I've harnessed those weaknesses into something that can be used to stop any superpowered, out of control villain. Or hero… but as of this morning, it appears someone has got ahold of my supply. It's worth noting that whoever did it was able to locate and break into the Batcave, which means that now mine, Robin's, Nightwing's and potentially Batgirl's identities are all at risk. I have a few leads, so I'm going to send you out in teams of two to do recon. I suspect the Reach is behind this, but we need to be sure. In the wrong hands, that tech can render the league powerless to stop whatever it is they're planning..."

-Bart-

" _I said… I'm ready." He was still trembling, but as his breath steadied, he began to speak with more conviction, "Just… tell me what you want me to do."_

With that, Zoom loosened his grip on Bart's neck and slowly laid him on the ground. Bart let himself close his eyes and prayed that he would somehow lose consciousness again.

"I'm a man of my word. That's all you needed to say. But there's not much you can do for me in your condition." Then he gently untied Bart and carried him bridal style to another room. Bart didn't open his eyes. He felt himself being laid down on something soft. A bed? It was surprisingly comfortable.

"I hope you understand, I can't let you roam around freely just yet. But you'll be much more comfortable here until you feel better. Get some rest." Eobard said, and then left. Bart heard the door lock. He kept his eyes shut. Maybe if he closed them tight enough, when he opened them it would all turn out to be a really bad dream. Maybe if he closed them hard enough, this would all just go away. He curled up in a ball, and refused to open his eyes.

...

When Bart was younger, he used to have one sided conversations with his mom, or the idea of her, at least. He would update her every day on how he was doing. Sometimes he would just cry and tell her how much he missed her. When things got really bad, he would tell her how afraid he was, and he would picture her telling him everything was going to be okay. He would always end up feeling better after those little talks, even if he had just been talking to himself. It had been years since he'd tried talking to her like that, but after hearing her talk back for the first time since he was six, he remembered how good it felt to pretend like she was here, listening. If he kept his eyes closed, he wouldn't be able to see that she wasn't there. So, for the first time in years, he talked to his mom, and imagined she was laying down next to him.

"Mom… I don't know if you can hear me, but I… I'm sorry..." He trailed off. He wondered if she would even want to talk to him now. She had just told him how proud she was, but then… he gave in to Zoom. Bart couldn't imagine she would still be proud of him after he was too weak to stand up to the man who had her killed.

"I'm so sorry…. I'm sorry, mom… I hope you can still love me." he was sobbing now. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

He couldn't manage to say anything else. He just buried his face in the pillow and cried himself to sleep.

…

After a restless nap, he finally opened his eyes to observe his surroundings. He was on a bed in the corner of what probably had been a cell. There was a sink and a bathtub on the other side of the room with a pair of crutches leaning against the sink. Next to his bed was a wheelchair.

Since Bart couldn't get any rest, he took advantage of the privacy and was determined to try to do something. The idea of taking a bath crossed his mind, but he decided against it. It was too much water, and he wasn't ready for that yet. Instead he hauled himself into the chair and made his way over to the sink. He grabbed onto one of the crutches and pulled himself into a standing position. His legs were aching and wouldn't hold his weight for long, but with the help of the crutches, he was able to quickly wash his face and drink some of the water from the sink. He looked up, almost expecting to see his reflection, but there was no mirror. It probably wouldn't have been such a pretty sight, anyways. He let himself fall back into the chair, exhausted. He hadn't realized how much energy it would take to get across the room and stand for a minute.

Before long, Bart felt himself being wheeled back to the bed. He must have fallen asleep in the chair. Zoom lifted him up and softly put him down on the bed in a sitting position, leaning Bart's back against the wall. He set a water bottle and a plate of food with two pills on it down next to Bart.

"For the pain." He said, pointing at the pills, "How are you feeling?" Zoom almost sounded like he cared.

Bart was careful not to set him off again. He would take this treatment over what he was getting before any day. "Better, Professor Zoom. Thanks." Bart leaned his head back against the wall. He was starving, but he was also tired. The food could wait a few minutes.

"Please, you can call me Eobard now. Here," He took Bart's hand and dropped the pills in it, then handed him the water bottle. "this will help." He must have noticed the skeptical look in Bart's eye, because he continued, "You don't have to take them if you don't want to. Would it make you feel better if I took one first?"

Bart considered it, but decided to just take his chances with the pills. He didn't want to do anything to make Zoom angry again. "No, thanks, uh, Eobard." Then he swallowed the capsules and chased it down with a little water.

"Good. I'll give you some privacy. Rest well, son." Then he left Bart alone again.

Bart knew that Eobard would turn on him in an instant if he did anything to set him off, but there was a kindness in his voice now that Bart had never heard before, and it was… kind of nice. It was messing with his head. Some part of him actually _wanted_ Eobard to care for him, if he stayed on his good side, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. Another part of him wanted the harsh treatment again, just so he would never forget how evil Eobard Thawne really was, and is. Was he really so desperate for love that he would settle for getting it from Professor Zoom? He didn't feel like he deserved any better...

No. He needed to snap out of it. This was exactly what Zoom would want, and there was no way he was going to give in to that. Bart had to remind himself that the kindness was fake and temporary, just until Zoom gets his way. For now, he needed to figure out a way to escape.

The next morning (well, Bart really wasn't sure what time of day or night it was, but he had just woken up from a long sleep), Eobard was already in the room when Bart awoke. He had left the door open.

"If you feel up to it, I'd like to switch things up today. What do you think?"

After a little effort, Bart sat up in the bed. "What did you have in mind?"

Instead of answering, Thawne reached towards Bart's neck, but retracted his hand when Bart flinched away.

"I already told you, I'm not going to hurt you anymore. But I'm still not a patient man, and I'd like it if your injuries would just heal already so we can get started. I'm going to take the collar off now, alright?"

Bart stared at Eobard with wide eyes, he thought this would take much longer. "R-really?"

Eobard answered by removing the collar.

Bart looked at his hand, and watched as the bruises and cuts from the rope on his wrists began to heal before his eyes. He wasn't healing as quickly as he normally would, but it was better than the slow agony of healing with no powers. He vibrated his hand, just to make sure he had his speed back. Eobard looked away for a moment to pull out a couple more pain pills, but when he turned his focus back to Bart, he was no longer in the room.

"As expected…" Eobard muttered.

Bart had vibrated through the wall instead of using the door, and ran for any exit. His broken legs could punish him later, for now, he just needed to get out. He figured if he could do that, he would just hide or find help or _something_. If he got just a little bit of a head start, maybe Zoom wouldn't be able to find him. It wasn't much of a plan, but this was his first real shot at freedom, and he was damn sure going to take it. He could figure the rest out later.

He went to vibrate through the last wall standing in the way of his liberty, but as soon as his body made contact with it, he was on the floor. He could only see white, and there was an intense ringing in his ears. He felt like he hit a brick wall. Or an electric fence. An electric brick wall. He must have blacked out for a few seconds.

When his vision started to come back, his collar was back on and he saw Zoom hovering over him.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. It would have been such a shame if you had really broken so easily. I'm glad to know we'll have to spend more time with that process. You had me for a moment, though, son. Well, fool me once..."

Great. That was the shortest almost escape ever.

Still weak from the shock, Bart didn't fight at all as his wrists and elbows were tied tightly together behind his back.

"You really thought I wouldn't be prepared for this exact thing? I had hoped you really came around, but I'm not dense. I took the necessary precautions." By now, Bart's ankles had been tied together. "Any living thing that goes faster than the average human is capable of moving will not be able to get in or out. Courtesy of the Batman."

Bart winced as his ankles were pulled up towards his wrists and he was securely hogtied. He was being tied way tighter than was necessary, and he knew the purpose wasn't to restrain him, but to make him as uncomfortable as possible.

"But... _you_ can get in and out?" Bart said, more to himself than to Zoom. He was still dumbfounded as to how this could have happened. He was so close. He was _free_ , even if only for a fleeting moment. He was free...

"Yes, well. I _walk_. And besides, I can disable it whenever I want to." Then he pulled out a rag and some more duct tape.

Bart squirmed in his binds. "Please don't, I promise I'll be quie-mfm mmph!" Bart was interrupted when the rag was stuffed into his mouth. Zoom proceeded to wrap the tape tightly over his lips and around his head several times.

"You don't have the best track record for making good on your promises, and I like you so much better this way." Bart was panting through his nose. He felt like he couldn't breath again. Zoom pulled out another piece of rope, which just made Bart more restless. He wondered what else Zoom could possibly need _more_ rope for, since he really couldn't move much at all. When the rope was wrapped around his neck, he lost it. He struggled as much as he could, but Zoom yanked the rope around Bart's neck, and he got the message and settled down in defeat. The noose was then tied to Bart's ankles and tightened so that he had to painfully arch his back in order to keep from suffocating himself. Zoom finished off his handiwork by wrapping a blindfold around Bart's eyes.

He took a step back to admire his work. "Yes. I definitely like you better like this. Well, I'll be back in about an hour. Try not to strangle yourself while I'm gone."

Bart let out a muffled cry, but Zoom ignored him and walked away.

Once Zoom was gone, Bart panicked even more. Even someone without so many injuries would have trouble holding this position for an hour. He really didn't know if he could do it. Arching his back in this way made his broken ribs poke into his his lungs, so even without the threat of suffocation it would still be hard to breathe. He had to take quick, shallow breaths in order to avoid what he assumed was the feeling of one of his lungs being punctured by said broken ribs.

Was this really how he was going to die? He supposed it would be a less painful alternative to what he had expected. Maybe it wasn't so bad. If he died, then Zoom would have no more leverage on the Flash, and the team could focus on stopping the Reach without feeling guilty. Maybe he'd get to finally be with his parent's again. It wouldn't even be that painful. In Bart's twisted sense of the world, this was a relatively peaceful way to go.

Relaxing into the noose and letting it put him to sleep would be easy. For some reason, though, Bart didn't let himself rest. Maybe it was his body's instincts to want to stay alive, or maybe some part of him really didn't want to die yet, after all. He rolled himself onto his side. The movement made the noose a little tighter, and it choked him for a moment, but once he was on his side, he was able to use the ground to help him stay stretched back without having to worry about balancing. He tried to calm down and focus on taking slower, deeper breaths, but found that his throat was too constricted. He knew he wouldn't be able to relax at all, so to keep the time passing, he started counting the seconds until Zoom's return.

...

The noose caught Bart drifting off at a little over 900 seconds in, and the pull on his throat was sudden and swift enough to wake him right away. It took every ounce of energy he had to pull his head far enough back to relieve the pressure from his neck. The adrenaline rush of almost dying again definitely gave him an extra boost of energy, though, and he continued counting.

 _Nine hundred twenty three…_

 _Nine hundred twenty four…_

 _Bart? Is that you?_

…

 _Nine hundred twenty five…_

…

Bart almost dozed off again but jerked himself back into position before he'd completely relaxed. He felt like he'd been dreaming.

 _Stay… awake… nine hundred twenty… uh... nine hundred twenty six_

 _Nine hundred twenty-_

 _Bart! Can you hear me?_

Okay. That was definitely not a dream. Bart knew that voice.

 _...M'gann?_

* * *

 **AN: I am finally starting to get some writers block. I have a few different versions of the next chapter written out and I really don't love any of them. So, if anyone has any ideas, let me know! I love the reviews so much and they keep me going. Let me know what you think so far and if there's any errors so I can fix them :)**


	8. Almosts

M'gann knew Batman was a bit of a stone wall when it came to understanding emotions, but she didn't think he'd be oblivious enough to send her on a two-person mission with Superboy, of all people. This was going to be an awkward trip.

Batman had GPS tracking devices on all of his stuff, but someone had messed with the signal, so when Batman tried to track it all down, there were over 20 different locations that showed up for each item. He sent out teams of two to each location. One of them led to Gotham city, but because of the compromised identities of all the bats, M'gann and Superboy were sent there instead. M'gann was prepared to make a few appearances in disguise as all of them at some point soon to help keep their identities safe.

She tried to focus on the mission to keep from over-analyzing that fact that Connor had been ignoring her the entire trip. It was a recon mission, but if they happened to come across the stolen tech and had a chance to recover it, they would be expected to do so covertly, if possible, which wasn't one of Superboy's strong suits. When they finally got to the outskirts of Gotham, M'gann landed the ship on an abandoned rooftop in camouflage mode, and they started patrolling the streets. Even though it was the middle of the day, there were no people in sight, and all the buildings looked abandoned. There were way too many possible hideouts here to check all of them.

"Connor, can you use your x-ray vision to check some of these buildings for anything suspicious?"

Connor didn't answer, but M'gann could tell he was doing what she'd asked. They kept walking, and ignoring each other. Superboy would use the excuse that he needed to focus, but he'd already scanned everything in their immediate area. Finally, M'gann decided to try something different.

"Maybe whoever took Batman's stuff is still in the area? It doesn't look like there's anyone here, but my telepathic range goes farther out than we can see. If there's anyone close, I should be able to sense them if I focus for a minute."

Superboy just grunted in approval, so M'gann closed her eyes and searched the area for anyone nearby. She sensed a few people: a runaway who was trying to sleep in an abandoned grocery store, a young rebellious couple looking for a thrill, and someone else just wandering, probably a homeless person. As she focused harder, she started to hear a faint voice, probably barely in range, counting…

 _Nine hundred twenty three…_

That voice sounded familiar…

 _Nine hundred twenty four…_

 _Bart? Is that you?_

A few seconds passed before the counting continued.

 _Nine hundred twenty five… Stay… awake… nine hundred twenty… uh... nine hundred twenty six… Nine hundred twenty-_

 _Bart! Can you hear me?_

"Connor! It's Bart!" M'gann exclaimed out loud. "At least, I think it is. Can I link us up?"

Connor's mouth dropped, he had no words, but he nodded. The three of them were linked now, but Bart's voice was very faint, which meant he was either almost out of range, or he was barely conscious. M'gann guessed it was the latter, based on the 'stay awake' comment. She couldn't sense anyone else nearby, so she knew he was alone.

 _...M'gann?_

 _Yes, it's me! Superboy's here too! Where are you, Bart?_

A few more seconds passed before Bart answered.

 _What are you doing here? You shouldn't be looking for me._

 _We found you by accident._ Superboy was never one for subtlety. M'gann suddenly felt a pang of guilt overtake her. How could they not have tried looking for him sooner?

 _Bart, tell us where you are. Please, let us help you!_

 _I… I don't know where I am..._

 _Can you make any noise? Maybe Superboy can hear you._

Superboy started listening intently. _Just tell me what to listen for._

It was a while before Bart responded.

 _...I don't know if you'll be able to hear, I'm… tapping on the floor… That's all I can do._

Superboy must have heard, because he started running. M'gann flew behind him. She followed him until they reached some kind of abandoned factory. She turned to camouflage mode and began density shifting through the walls. Superboy broke a window and came in through there, which, in all honesty, was more stealth than M'gann had anticipated. At least he didn't smash the wall down…

When they got inside, Bart was starting to drift off again.

 _Bart, stay with us! We're getting you out!_

-Bart POV-

Bart was having trouble believing that he might actually be rescued. He _almost_ escaped before. He _almost_ saved the world from the Reach. He _almost_ got to be with his mom again. So far, being hopeful hadn't exactly worked out for him. Still, he tapped on the floor with the back of his hand. He wasn't sure if Superboy would even be able to hear him, but he forced himself to continue. It took everything in him to stay awake and in position, so he started counting again, this time, tapping the floor with each count.

 _Nine hundred thirty... *_ tap _*... nine hundred thirty one... *_ tap _*… nine... hundred…. thirty..._

 _Bart, stay with me! We're getting you out!_

The sound of a shattering window brought Bart back into awareness. He heard footsteps running towards him and felt his blindfold being pulled off. M'gann looked like she would cry at the sight of him. He had to have been turning blue by now. Superboy just clenched his fists when he saw the shape Bart was in, then scanned the area for anyone nearby and stood watch. M'gann frantically tugged at some of the knots before using her telekinesis to bring a blade to her hand from the other side of the room. Bart could feel the rope that connected his neck to his ankles being cut, then she quickly loosened it from around his throat.

A beautiful gust of air suddenly flowed in through his nose and he dropped his head to the floor.

 _Thanks…_ He said telepathically. M'gann nodded, turned on her comm and radioed Batman while she started to saw away at the rope that tied his ankles to his wrists. Bart let his eyes wander while he waited for M'gann to finish cutting the rope, and he noticed a video camera hanging from the corner of the ceiling.

 _There's a camera, he'll come back!_

Before M'gann had a chance to tell Batman what was going on, all of the walls began to glow, and then what looked like a force field around them visibly deteriorated.

 _He's here! You have to go!_ Bart warned. Before anyone could respond, he let out a sharp but muffled yelp as he was dragged to the other side of the room. Zoom had apparently grabbed the knife from M'gann's hand, too, and held Bart in front of him with the blade pressed against his throat.

"Zoom… please..." M'gann started, but Connor finished what she would have said, in a much more forceful way.

"Let him go!" He demanded. Batman must have figured out what was going on and pinpointed their locations, because only a few moments later, the Flash was in the room.

"Zoom, it's over. Let him go." Barry tried to steady his voice when he spoke, but seeing Bart this way made it come out less commanding than he wanted. Bart's neck was red and swollen with rope burn, and the rest of his body was covered in bruises. Barry was ready to attack Zoom at the first chance he got. He just needed to get Bart away from him.

Bart shut his eyes as Zoom pressed the knife down hard enough to draw a small amount of blood from the side of his throat. "I can kill him before you reach me, Flash."

Flash held his hands up to show his cooperation. "Your beef is with me, not him. Let him go, and we can settle this. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"That is tempting. If I'm being completely honest, I _have_ been waiting for this confrontation for quite some time. Unfortunately, the circumstances are all wrong. Instead, I'll make you a deal… It appears I'll need to relocate, and I can only carry so much with me at once. You'll find that the boy isn't the only thing I have that belongs to you heroes, and if I'm not mistaken, you came here looking for something much more valuable than him. I understand that the risks of some of those items getting into the wrong hands can be quite catastrophic." Flash, M'gann and Superboy all froze while Zoom continued, obviously pleased with their reactions.

"I really only needed one thing. I was going to give the rest to some friends of mine, but I think _we_ might be able to work something out… so here's what's going to happen. You two," He nodded towards M'gann and Superboy. "will not move, or I kill the boy. Flash, the decision is up to you. Pursue the boy, and I'll let you have him, but I'll be gone, and I'll take what you came here looking for, but not before I apply a little pressure on his caroted artery. That way, if you try to follow me, you'll essentially be letting him die... And for nothing, we both know you're just not as fast as I am..." he paused, letting his mouth form into a sinister grin.

"or… go upstairs and retrieve your missing inventory. I'll take good care of my grandson, and the world goes another day without being ruled by the Reach. You'll be given another chance to save him soon enough. But just you next time, got it? Sounds like a no brainer to me."

"You would betray the Reach?" M'gann blurted out, trying to stall.

"I work for myself, not the Reach. And I already got what I wanted."

"How do we know you even have what we're looking for?" She asked.

"It's here. I can see it. Upstairs." Superboy responded.

"You have five seconds to decide, Flash."

Bart met Flash's gaze, and M'gann and Superboy heard what he was thinking.

 _You have to stop the Reach… tell him it's okay..._

Barry looked at Bart with tears in his eyes. M'gann must have relayed the message telepathically. "It's not okay, kid. I swear, wherever he takes you, I _will_ save you." Then he whizzed upstairs, and Zoom disappeared with Bart.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks so much for all the reviews and messages! You all gave me some ideas and motivated me to keep the story going. Keep them coming, please! I really do appreciate the feedback. If you have any questions, please let me know!**


	9. Bart's Memories Pt 2

**AN: The last part of this chapter will be a continuation from memory #5 from chapter 2. I will tag it in the story so you know when it's coming. Hopefully it's not too confusing.**

* * *

" _It's not okay, kid. I swear, wherever he takes you, I will save you." Then Flash whizzed upstairs, and Zoom disappeared with Bart._

 _..._

Bart found himself thrown onto the floor of… a living room? It was just a normal house, not a warehouse, or an abandoned factory, but a regular house. The sound of glass shattering shifted Bart's attention to the kitchen, where there were two people paralyzed with fear at the sight of the the intruder and his battered hostage. Zoom didn't even look like he had moved at all, but he must have, because the next moment, both of the witnesses were on the floor, probably already dead.

Then came the rage.

Zoom didn't even hit or kick Bart at first. He just kept picking him up and throwing him around, shoving him into walls and smashing him into tables, yelling profanities with every crash.

"You think you're so smart, don't you!" *crash!*

"You've ruined everything! _Everything_!" *bang!*

"You think you can fool _me_?" *smash!*

"You've ruined everything! You've RUINED _EVERYTHING_!" *crack!*

Bart just hoped that he would be knocked out soon. The pain was duller in his sleep, and the dreams were sometimes a nice escape. At this rate, he knew it wouldn't be long.

"I HATE YOU, _FLASH!_ " Zoom threw Bart against the wall, knowing he'd let his tongue slip, but he didn't care. He hated the Flash more than anything, and Bart would have to take on the burden of Zoom's hatred for the both of them until the Flash showed up, _if_ he showed up.

" _I'm_ the fastest man in the world, now!"

To prove his point, Zoom threw out hundreds of punches in just a few seconds. He screamed incoherently in rage as he struck every inch of Bart's body, never hitting the same spot twice.

One of the advantages to having a collar on was that everything felt like it was happening so much faster. Bart's body barely had time to process that it was in pain. Even with Bart's blood now spattered across the entire house, he was too far in shock and it all happened so fast, that it didn't hurt as much as it should have. Bart must have not been reacting in the way Zoom had hoped, because he dropped Bart to the floor.

"I'm sorry, am I going too fast for you?" Just as quickly as Zoom had acted out, he calmed himself down. He pulled out a pair of metal cuffs, just like the ones the Reach used to use when they would 'experiment' on him. "Would you like it if we slowed things down a bit?"

Bart was too weak to protest other than letting out a pained groan and shaking his head. Zoom crouched down and continued trying to intimidate the young speedster.

"You know, super speed is such an interesting thing. You would usually heal at an incredible rate, but without any kind of nourishment, you won't be able to heal much quicker than anyone else. With these," he shifted the cuffs from one hand to the other.

"your powers won't protect you. You won't be able to move much, but there is one thing your super speed will still allow you to do…" Zoom untied Bart's wrists, leaving his elbows still bound together, and replaced the ropes with the metal cuffs. "You're body will be able to process every sensation at a miraculous speed. You will feel _everything_. And you will feel it _slowly_ , minutes will seem like hours..."

Bart laid on the floor in defeat and closed his eyes, ready to accept whatever it was that Zoom would dish out next.

But Zoom must have known that Bart's body would not be able to handle much more stress in his condition, because he didn't take the collar off, or activate the cuffs.

"I'll leave you with that to look forward to." Then he kicked Bart in the temple, granting his wish for sleep.

…

 _You've ruined everything!_

 _You've ruined everything!_

 _You've ruined everything!_

…

 _-_ flashback-

Bart's first year of being a slave was the hardest. He had to endure constant 'tests,' which were almost always just torture sessions disguised as science experiments. He'd spend days at a time being 'tested' before he was able to go back to the general areas of the concentration camp. Bart mostly kept to himself, but he had gotten pretty close to two of his bunkmates, Nathaniel and Psimon. Bart had heard that they both used to be 'villains,' but that didn't really mean anything anymore. The Reach didn't care who you were, if you had powers, you were a slave. Despite their pasts, Bart didn't mind Psimon or Nathaniel at all, they both took kindly to him, and were even a bit protective. At no older than 10, Bart was one of the youngest at the camp, since most kids who had been captured didn't survive the first tests. Bart liked to think of Psimon and Nathaniel as his big brothers, even though they were both more than old enough to be his father. He never had any siblings, and he felt like this was the next best thing.

Nathaniel gravitated towards Bart as soon as he learned that he was the Flash's grandson. He still carried the guilt with him that he had killed the Flash, and he hoped to make it up to Bart in any way he could by being there for him. Bart always had so many questions about his grandfather, and Nathaniel was the only connection he had to him now, so he would tell Bart stories about the Flash whenever Bart needed his spirits raised.

It had been a while since Nathaniel had been around, though. Usually the 'tests' would only last a few days, so Bart was starting to worry. One night, after over a week missing, he finally came back.

Psimon rolled over in his bunk to look at Nathaniel, and stated plainly, "You tried to escape. That was foolish." Psimon had an inhibitor collar on, but was still very in tune to the subtleties of the psyche and was able to pick up on some things.

"Get out of my head!" Nathaniel pushed his palms hard against his ears and dropped to his knees in distress.

"I wasn't in your head. Though you do wear your mind on your sleeve." Psimon retorted, ignoring Nathaniel's extreme reaction.

"Nathaniel! Are you okay? What happened to you?" Bart ran to Nathaniel and helped him up.

"Fine. I'm fine. The damn Martian got in my head. It still kind of feels like he's in there." Nathaniel was talking about the Green Beetle of Mars, who sometimes made appearances on earth when it was necessary.

Psimon looked at Nathaniel blankly. "Just kick him out, then."

Both Bart and Nathaniel looked at Psimon with perplexed expressions.

"Can I really do that?" Nathaniel asked.

Psimon sighed, as if this conversation was beneath him. "It's _your_ mind. Your _home_. Any telepath is simply an intruder. They may have weapons that you don't possess, but you still have an advantage in that it is _your_ home, and no one knows it better than you do. You're overreacting, though. He's not even in there."

"Well, I guess I'll keep that in mind for next time…" Nathaniel sounded like he'd calmed down a bit. He was obviously exhausted, so Bart helped him get into his bunk, and tucked him in, then curled up at the foot of the bed.

"Next time, I'm coming with you…" Bart said through a yawn.

"What do you mean?"

"Next time you try to get out. I'm coming with you."

* * *

 **AN:this next part is a continuation from memory #5 from chapter 2, which was cut short when Bart kicked M'gann out of his head.**

Refresher- Zoom is interrogating Bart after he had helped some people escape. Bart is tied to a chair, collared and gagged, sitting in front of a blank TV screen.

* * *

"You know, it took us years to find you. Even after we killed your parents…" Zoom paused, gauging Bart's reaction, "That's right. I'm the one who found them. I'm sure you have plenty of questions for me about that. Haven't you ever wondered what happened to them before their executions?"

Bart's eyes widened.

"Well, I might be able to provide some answers for you. Like I said, I'm happy to help. Especially when it comes to _you_."

Zoom pulled out a pair of full sized headphones and placed them over Bart's ears while he struggled. Then the screen turned on, revealing Zoom torturing both of his parents, who were barely recognizable after how badly they'd been beaten. Any time Bart tried to look away or close his eyes, Zoom shocked him with the collar.

It was all because of Bart. Every beating, all the torture, everything that his parents went through was because they wouldn't tell Zoom how to find Bart. After hours of being forced to watch his parents beaten and tortured mercilessly, Zoom finally turned off the TV.

"All of that to protect you, and you went ahead and got caught anyways. They must be so _proud…_ " Zoom mocked.

The urge to cry was strong, but Bart refused to give Zoom that satisfaction. Instead, he just narrowed his gaze on the floor. Zoom rushed over to him and pulled his gag down once again.

"Last chance. Who were you working with?"

Bart just continued glaring at the ground and said nothing.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Zoom put the gag back in Bart's mouth, then touched his ear and spoke into a communicator. "He's all yours."

Bart was struck with a searing headache out of nowhere. It caused his vision to blur for a moment. When he was able to focus, he was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him, because standing next to Zoom was... it couldn't be...

 _Forgive me, brother._

It was Psimon.

Then in an instant, Bart felt a drilling sensation in his head while all of his recent memories were torn apart in Psimon's search. He couldn't concentrate on anything but the excruciating pain in his head. It took him a moment to remember what Psimon himself had told him a few years before. This was _his_ home. _He_ was in control, right? He didn't feel like he was in control at all. Bart wasn't a telepath, but it was _his_ mind they were in. He just needed to get creative and think fast.

Bart quickly pictured a tall and heavy wall between Psimon and his secrets. Psimon grew to a massive size and pounded on the wall, cracking it slightly, which made Bart feel like he was having an aneurism. Psimon kept pummeling himself into the wall until it broke, and without thinking twice, Bart made the wall explode on the impact, hoping it would hurt Psimon enough to make him leave, and surely enough, when the smoke cleared, Psimon was gone.

Then Bart found himself coming to his senses, and he vaguely saw Psimon rubbing his temples and talking with Zoom.

"He put up quite a fight... but I have the information you need."

Bart yanked hard at the ropes that tied him to his chair, cursing at Psimon through the gag.

Psimon just ignored Bart and continued, "There's a hideout not far from here where all the escapees have taken refuge. He had help from the outside."

Bart fought his restraints as hard as he could in a hopeless attempt to charge at Psimon. His struggles caused the chair to fall to it's side and brought Bart down with it, hitting the ground hard. Psimon avoided Bart's eyes and continued relaying the information he stole. He listed every single person that had helped, and gave the location of the safe house. He began listing the names of those who had escaped as well, since the Reach didn't always keep track of everyone. Bart stopped cursing and was now pleading with Psimon, not that anyone could understand what he was trying to say, but he was confident that Psimon knew exactly what he was thinking.

Psimon did leave out one name. Nathaniel was never mentioned. Bart hung on to the hope that at least _he_ would make it, maybe Nathaniel could still be free. Zoom seemed satisfied with the information he was given, so Psimon was excused. Even after what Psimon had done, somewhere in the back of Bart's mind, he worried for him. He started to wonder what Zoom or Blue Beetle had put him through to make him do what he did, but brushed the thought away. It was easier to be angry.

Zoom looked down at Bart, gloating.

"That wasn't so hard, now, was it." He chuckled. "Seems to me, being close to you is something of a curse. Your parents, your cousin, and now all of your little friends… Maybe if you had been more cooperative, we might think to spare some of them. But I think you need to be taught a lesson."

He slipped out of the room in an instant, and Bart was left alone on the floor with the knowledge that he had just given away the names of everyone who had escaped, and everyone on the outside who helped them. They would all be killed or tortured for trying to be free, all because Bart couldn't guard his own mind well enough. He promised himself he would never let something like that happen again.

Maybe Zoom was right. Maybe being close to Bart _was_ a curse. After all this time, they finally got free, but now everything was ruined. They would all be killed now, and it would be because of Bart... just like everything else. It was all because of him.

…

 _You've ruined everything!_

 _You've ruined everything!_

 _You've ruined everything!_

…

* * *

 **I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I didn't love it but I felt it was important. Plus some people were still wondering how Bart kicked M'gann out of his head so I figured I'd shed some light on that.**

 **Please let me know what you thought of this so far! What did you or didn't you like about this chapter?(please don't be too mean though I'm fragile) What do you want to happen next? More flashbacks or do you want the story to keep moving forward?**

 **Shout out to** Rainfall04 **and** i-am-my-own-queen **and all the guest accounts for your feedback! It seriously brightens my soul :)**


	10. The House

Once again, the entire team (excluding Artemis and Aqualad), and some of the league, were gathered at their base for Batman to brief them on the current situation and on their next mission.

Their plan had been to use the summit between the Light and the Reach to turn them against each other.

In the middle of the briefing, the screen suddenly turned to static, and Batman quickly typed something into the computer, which set the screen back to normal. He then tried to continue with the briefing as if nothing had happened. Mostly, no one thought anything of it, but Nightwing was suspicious, so he interrupted. The two of them hadn't really seen eye to eye much since their falling out that led to Dick being essentially fired as Robin. He knew Bruce well enough to know when he was hiding something.

"Someone just tried to send a message by hacking into our system. Who was it?" His eyes narrowed on Batman's, and the rest of the room fell silent.

Nightwing was answered with the Batglare™, although it didn't have the same effect on Dick that it used to.

"Was it Zoom again? Didn't he say he would be sending another message soon? That was _days_ ago." Wally accused, anger pouring out into his voice at the thought of Batman keeping something like that from them.

"Bats! If there's something you've been hiding, now's the time!" Flash demanded.

Batman paused for a few moments, still expressionless, then finally answered. "It was Professor Zoom... After his last message, we had all agreed that it was best to focus on stopping the Reach." Batman started, "We've been receiving updates, but given the recent circumstances, I've decided it wasn't necessary for anyone to see them. We all already knew it was only a distraction, and now that we have the upper hand, we need to stop the Reach before they make any other moves…"

At first, the room was silent. Everyone either reluctantly agreed, didn't know what to make of the situation, or just didn't know how to stand up to Batman.

Wally and Barry were vibrating with rage, but Jaime was the first to speak.

"Batman, let _me_ look for him. I want to stay as far away from the Reach as possible, anyways. We can't risk me getting put back on mode, right? I'm the reason Bart got taken away. Just send me the videos Zoom sent and I'll find him. I owe him. Please."

"I don't even know why I'm surprised," Wally said, giving Batman a look of disgust, "Count me in, Jaime. If you need to justify it in your twisted brain," Wally glowered at Batman. "Once we get Zoom, we can make sure your precious league contingency items are safe, your identities aren't compromised, and he won't be able to break back into the batcave. The summit isn't even until tomorrow. Maybe we can find Bart by then. And if not... then," he looked at Nightwing and nodded solemnly, "I trust you... Get Artemis out of there in one piece, okay?"

Nightwing nodded.

"I'm going, too." Flash insisted.

"No." Batman said firmly. "Zoom is working against the Reach, he is not an immediate threat. The summit is our first priority. I have everything else under control."

Flash didn't budge. "So you'd have us let the kid die? No... this one's not your call. Bart is _family_ , Bats. You can't seriously expect me to willingly repeat _your_ mistakes. What would you do if it were Robin again?"

Everyone in the room froze at the allusion to their fallen comrade. All eyes were now on Batman or the current Robin, who was about the same age and size as Bart. Tim blushed at the sudden attention and suddenly found his own feet to be incredibly interesting. Barry noticed Batman's face twist for a brief moment. He hadn't meant to remind Batman of Jason's death, but Flash sure as hell wasn't about to let Bart be _his_ 'greatest failure.'

"Nevermind, you don't have to answer that. I'm going."

It all must have hit a sore spot for Batman, because after a long pause, Batman finally answered, "...Go."

...

Barry, Wally, and Jaime all left and went to Wally's place to go over the 'updates' that had been sent. There had to be something there to tip them off to Bart's location.

Wally pulled out his laptop and opened the file that Batman had sent. There were three videos, each exactly five minutes long. They all braced themselves and played the first video.

.

"Let's get started then…"

Bart was shown on the screen alone, still tied in the same way as he was in the first video that was sent to the team. Zoom had been talking to Bart from behind the camera.

In a split second he was hitting Bart's left kneecap with a baseball bat. There was an audible 'crack', and Bart's leg bent back in the wrong direction. He grit his teeth and shut his eyes, it must have taken every inch of willpower not to scream, but Bart wasn't one to show weakness easily. Especially not to _him_.

"Hmm… What's next? Other leg?" Before Zoom finished saying the word 'leg, he was swinging the bat towards the side of Bart's knee, causing his other leg to snap inwards.

Zoom then swung at Bart squarely in the chest, and then in the gut, all within a split second, causing blood to spurt from Bart's mouth. Zoom continued to hit Bart in his legs, groin, torso and back with the bat until he appeared to grow bored.

Then Bart was being untied. It happened so fast that by the time he was able to react, his arms had already been re-tied behind his back, and he was blindfolded. Zoom pushed him down onto his knees.

"Kneel for me."

Bart let out a sharp cry from the sensation of being forced to kneel on broken legs and shattered kneecaps. Zoom circled around Bart, dragging the bat on the floor as he did so that Bart could hear exactly where he was. He stopped at Bart's side, and tapped the bat twice on the floor just to emphasize how close his weapon was. Then he clapped his hands loudly behind Bart's ear, causing him to flinch in the other direction. In an instant Zoom was at his other side, swinging the bat directly into Bart's face.

"Ouch. You really ran right into that one." He taunted, then raised the bat above his head.

The video ended as the bat swung down, and the next video began to play.

Bart was kneeling with his arms tied behind his back. His shirt had been cut off, revealing almost no unbruised skin. In front of him was a large bucket filled with ice water.

"I'm waiting."

.

Barry paused the video.

"These look like they were taken in the same place where we found Bart, he's been moved since then. We need to find out where he is now. The next one is the one he would have just sent. Go to that one."

No one argued that, they all hated watching Bart get hurt, and only wanted to see what they had to in order to save him.

They skipped to the next video.

Zoom was standing next to Bart, who was laying on the floor, barely conscious. They were in what looked like a living room. Bart's hands were bound together in front of him with thick metal cuffs. The veins in his hands and forearms were black and swollen. Dried blood trailing from the cuffs stained his forearms and fresh blood was seeping down his hands. Both of his hands were turning purple. The rest of his body was discolored with blood and bruises.

Zoom pulled Bart up into a standing position and shoved him against a wall, holding him up by the neck, keeping his limp body hovering a few inches above the floor.

Bart grinned weakly, exposing bloody teeth, and managed to choke out through strained breaths, his words came out barely louder than a whisper. "There's nothing… else you can… do to me..."

"Oh, I can think of one thing..." Zoom said, letting Bart's feet touch the floor as he pushed a blade against his throat.

"Do it." Bart said without flinching.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Zoom hit Bart hard over the head with the back of the blade, knocking him out. Then he turned to face the camera. "You have until midnight, Flash. Come alone."

The video ended there. It was almost 8pm, so they had about four hours to figure out what to do and do it.

Both Jaime and Wally looked to Barry, who must have recognized the location, because he was still staring at the screen, shaking his head as if in denial. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Where is he, uncle Barry?" Wally asked.

Flash took a minute to snap out of it before answering. "He's in…" he cleared his throat to prevent his voice from cracking "That was… _my_ _house…_ I mean, from when I was a kid…" His breathing hitched a bit as he fished. "Zoom killed my mother in that room..." He was shuddering with anger or fear, eyes glistening before he cleared his throat again and snapped out of it. "I have to go. Alone."

"Like hell you do! I'm going with you!" Wally stood up.

"This is _my_ fight, kid! No one else needs to get hurt!"

Jaime stood up, too. "You can't go alone. Think about it, that's exactly what Zoom wants. There's no way he would just hand Bart back over to you. He's smart and he's gotta have a plan, hermano, you can't play into it."

"If I don't go alone, he'll kill Bart. We don't exactly have any other choice. This is between me and Zoom. It has to be."

Wally's eyes softened for a moment, then he perked up a bit and put a hand on Barry's shoulder. "At least let us help you come up with a plan of our own, then."

Barry hesitated, but after a quick look at his nephew, he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth twitch upwards and shake his head. "If I know you at all, that look means you already have one."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the short ish chapter. The rest will all have plenty of content.**


	11. Bart's Memories Pt 3

**warning: There is a reference to some r*pe/non-con stuff in this chapter. Nothing happens, though, and it's really only hinted at. Just thought I should tag it just in case**

* * *

 _T_ _hey stared at each other for a few seconds before Zoom hit Bart hard over the head with the back of the blade, knocking him out. Then he turned to face the camera. "You have until midnight, Flash. Come alone."_

...

When Bart woke up, he was only vaguely aware that he was sitting with his arms chained up above his head. He was too tired to open his eyes. He wasn't ready to wake up yet, anyways. Whenever he woke up, bad things would happen. Bart wondered if he was going to die here. He was sure of it before, but now he found himself fantasizing about Barry coming to rescue him. He knew Zoom was hoping that the Flash would show up, too, but Bart still had his doubts. Even if he did show up, would he really be able to stop Zoom? Zoom was faster, Bart knew that much. And even if he did stop Zoom, would Barry still be able to save him? Even if it was unlikely, it was nice to conjure up scenarios in his mind that somehow had a happy ending, so he desperately clung on to Barry's promise.

 _It's not okay, kid. I swear, wherever he takes you, I_ will _save you._

 _I swear_

 _Wherever he takes you_

 _I_ will _save you_

 _I_ will _save you_

 _I_ will _save you_

...

-flashback-

Bart sat curled up in the corner of an underground dungeon, wearing a collar, with one of his ankles shackled to the floor. Just the night before, the room had been filled with people. Everyone who had attempted to escape had already been recaptured (except for Nathaniel), and many others on the outside had also been caught helping them. There were thirteen prisoners in the room the night before. Every hour or so, a group of masked guards would come in and take away one prisoner to be executed. Eventually, Bart was the last one left. He knew they would come for him last, just so he would have to see everyone else taken away. Bart didn't know why, but it seemed like they had always taken a particular interest in his suffering over everyone else's.

Finally, the door opened again, and Bart swallowed hard, ready to accept his fate. But instead of several masked guards coming in to take him away, there was only one. The guard rushed towards Bart.

"Are you okay?" The guard fumbled with the chain around Bart's ankle before taking off his mask to get a better look.

"Nathaniel!" Bart leapt into his 'brother's' arms. "How… What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save you, obviously." Nathaniel smirked, trying to hide how anxious he was. "Where are the others?" As he spoke, he shuffled with the keys attached to his belt. He tried a few different keys before finally finding one that fit. He removed the shackle from Bart's ankle, revealing swollen and bruised skin underneath.

Bart looked at the ground in shame. "They're gone. I'm sorry."

Nathaniel just blinked away whatever emotions were threatening to come up.

"Then we need to go. Can you walk?" Bart winced as Nathaniel pulled him up to stand, but nodded anyways.

"Good. Then let's get you out of here. We have to hurry." Nathaniel helped Bart out the door and they made their way down a hallway as quickly as they could. There was some kind of trap door on the ceiling up ahead. Nathaniel reached up and opened it, then gave Bart a lift so he could climb out. He pulled himself up to the next floor. As soon as he made his way up, an earsplitting alarm sounded, alerting every guard in the building, and they all came flooding towards Bart from every direction. Once Nathaniel made his way up, an adrenaline rush temporarily blocked all the pain in Bart's body, and they ran.

Bart felt something wrap around his swollen ankle that caused him to faceplant on the floor. He quickly rolled himself over just in time to dodge the butt of a gun that had been meant to hit the back of his head. Instead it smashed into the ground, and Bart took the opportunity to kick the guard who held it in the chest with his free leg, then squirmed out from under him. Bart quickly shook the cord from his ankle and got to his feet.

By then he was surrounded and held at gunpoint, and he couldn't see Nathaniel anywhere.

Rough hands grabbed Bart from behind in an attempt to push him to the ground, but Bart refused to go down. Not until he knew Nathaniel was safe. Besides, if they were going to shoot him, they would have done it already. Before anyone had time to react, in three swift moves, Bart stomped his heel down on the guard's foot, and elbowed him in the gut, then used the momentum to pivot on his heel and punched the guard in the throat. They loosened their grip, and Bart went berserk. After everything he'd been through, he was not afraid to fight dirty, and If he was going to go down, he wouldn't go down easily.

Bart's vision went white with rage as he attacked anyone that came near him. He wanted to get out of the crowd of guards to find Nathaniel, but there were too many of them to avoid. Instead, he made it a point to make as much of a commotion as possible, if only to give Nathaniel an opening to escape. He dodged as many hits as he could and tried to snake his way around the guards, but the plethora of attackers was too much for him. He was eventually overpowered, and two guards twisted Bart's arms behind his back and shoved him face first into the wall.

From the corner of Bart's eye, he saw two things.

A barely conscious Nathaniel being beaten and dragged away,

and Psimon, standing at the end of the hall, staring directly at Bart.

Just then, everyone except Psimon, Bart, and Nathaniel fell to the floor, screaming and covering their ears.

"I can't subdue them for long. Go!" Psimon said. (heh)

Then Bart felt a click on his neck, and his collar loosened. He was able to easily pull it off, then he threw it to the ground. He ran- actually ran- over to Nathaniel and helped him up as best as he could.

"Can you walk?" He asked just like Nathaniel had earlier, and Nathaniel winced as Bart pulled him up to stand, but nodded anyways.

Bart looked at Psimon, who had his fingers on his temples and looked to be in pain.

"You're not coming?"

You know I can't, brother. Psimon answered telepathically.

"We can all make it out if we go now, Psimon!" Nathaniel pleaded.

But some of the guards were already starting to recover, and Psimon didn't budge.

Go!

With the help of his adrenaline, his super speed, and every ounce of strength he had left, Bart hoisted a weak Nathaniel over his shoulder and disappeared. The last thing he saw was Psimon falling to the ground in agony from the mental overload, while the guards recovered from his attack and charged towards Psimon.

…

Nathaniel had explained to Bart that the team they were working with to get everyone out had started to build a time machine. They were going to send someone named Lian back in time to stop the Reach for good, and save the world. She had apparently been the one facilitating most of the escapes. Unfortunately, they weren't able to finish what they had started. They still needed a few more key parts for the machine, and they were all captured by the Reach before they could acquire those parts.

Bart and Nathaniel set out to finish the job. Bart volunteered to go back in time, since he felt like he needed to redeem himself and do something good for once.

They went to an underground market. In all seriousness, there was no way that the Reach wasn't aware of the market, but they allowed it to go on for some reason. They must have somehow been benefitting from it.

Bart felt eyes from every corner glued to him. Nathaniel noticed this, too, and protectively pulled Bart closer.

"Stay close. There's someone here I need to talk to that should have what we need."

Then a short and husky man approached Nathaniel and Bart, looking them up and down suspiciously.

"You Lian's friends?"

"Yes. She was supposed to be here, but, due to the circumstances…. Well, we're here in her place. Do you have what she needed?"

"I have it. But what about my payment?" The man looked annoyed.

Payment. Nathaniel hadn't been prepared for that. Lian said this was a friend doing a favor. She never mentioned anything about a payment.

"What did she promise you?" He finally managed, hoping it was something they'd be able to acquire.

"Nothing I want from _you_." The man scoffed, then predatorily eyed Bart, and reconsidered. "But… maybe from _him_..."

The man took a step closer to Bart, and Nathaniel defensively pulled Bart behind him, using himself as a shield between Bart and the creep.

"No one touches him. We're leaving." And he ushered a confused Bart in the other direction. They would figure something else out.

"Wait!" A different voice called out, and they turned around.

Another man, presumably the boss, had overheard the conversation. He reprimanded the shorter man.

"Disgusting. What did I tell you about doing business with children!"

"Eh, he looks old enough to-" He stopped speaking when the boss glared at him, daring him to continue. The shorter man was excused and practically scurried away.

"My apologies. He's… new. I understand you were friends of Lian's?"

Nathaniel nodded.

"It's such a shame, what happened. She was a great woman." The man paused, looking remorseful, then shook it off. "I know how important her work was. Any friend of Lian's is a friend of mine. I'll get you what you need." He smiled kindly.

"What do you want for payment?" Nathaniel was still on edge from what the other man had insinuated, and didn't want to make any deals without fully knowing what they were getting into.

The man's kind smile never wavered. "Consider it a gift. Besides, I should be paying you. What you're doing is selfless, and dangerous. How about this… You can repay me," He was looking at Bart now with a hopeful gleam in his eye, "by saving the world."

…

The friendly black market boss man stayed true to his word. He gave them the parts they needed for the time machine, along with a little blue bead that was for Nathaniel. Bart didn't know what it was. He didn't think much of it. Instead, he set his focus towards finishing the time machine.

Luckily, Lian had left good instructions for how to build it. It took over a month to get everything perfect, but Bart finally finished his work. Once he was done, he rushed over to check on Nathaniel, who hadn't been doing too well. Nathaniel hadn't left the shelter of the cave for a couple of days now.

They slept in a cave in what Bart was told used to be called Happy Harbour. It wasn't so happy anymore, but it was definitely better than most other places. Bart had actually managed to grow some food there so they didn't always have to scavenge. When Bart came inside to check on Nathaniel, he noticed that he'd grown pale, and lost a bit of weight, even though Bart made sure he had been eating. He was laying down in a corner, using Bart's only jacket as a pillow. His eyes were closed, but Bart could tell by his breathing that he was awake. Bart sat down next to him and took a deep breath. He was not looking forward to this conversation.

"Are you ever going to tell me what's happening to you?"

Nathaniel opened his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Don't do that. You know what I mean. You're sick, aren't you?"

Nathaniel sighed. He knew there was no point in keeping anything from Bart anymore. "Since I escaped, actually. I think the Reach was keeping me alive, but I can't figure out how. Anyways, that won't matter soon." Nathaniel sat up and pulled the little blue bead out of his pocket. He let out a quick breath that would have been more of a laugh if he had more energy, and ruffled Bart's hair. "You can save me, kid. You can save everyone."

Bart threw his arms around Nathaniel in one of his infamous way-too-tight hugs. Nathaniel rested his chin on the top of Bart's head and hugged him back gently. Bart finally pulled away, only so he could look Nathaniel in the eye when he made his promise.

"I will, Nathaniel. You're going to be okay, I won't let you die. I swear, I _will_ save you."

* * *

AN: I was going to wait to post this chapter, but I'm less patient than Professor Zoom so here it is :p

I'm almost done with the next chapter, and it will be posted by Friday!


	12. The Key

**AN: warning: there's a pretty vivid description of vomit somewhere in this chapter**

 **also I know I said I would post this friday, but I finished early, so here ya go!**

* * *

Ch 12

Bart had been barely conscious and in and out of sleep for a while, now. He still hadn't opened his eyes, instead he just continued to let himself dream. He dreamt about what his life would be like if Zoom hadn't ruined it. He dreamt about being back on the team and being a hero again. He dreamt about spending time with Wally like he did when he was a kid, he tried to brush off the lingering doubt that the Wally from this time would even want to be around him. He even dreamt about Jaime and what things would have been like if he'd never been moded.

But mostly, he kept dreaming up different ways that Barry could rescue him, which left him conflicted. Until now, he hadn't realized how badly he really wanted to be saved. He thought he was ready to die here, but if that were true, he wouldn't be thinking about _living_ so much.

After what felt like ages, Bart eventually gave in and opened his eyes, if only to reassure himself that he was still here. Not that he wanted to be _here,_ but he was actually beginning to let himself find comfort in the fact that he was still alive, and If he had survived this far, maybe he really was going to make it out of here. Maybe the Flash really was going to come for him.

Bart found himself in the attic. There were heavy chains wrapped around the cuffs on his wrists that pinned his hands to a bolt in the wall above his head.

His head was throbbing. His whole body was throbbing, really. His hands and forearms felt like they were on fire, and his vision was still blurry, so he was having trouble concentrating on anything else. He was still barely conscious, and it was dark, but eventually, the room started to come into focus. There wasn't much up here, except some old board games, boxes, a few blankets, and an old grandfather clock. If it was working correctly, it was about 10PM. Some of the boxes had labels on them, like 'toys' or 'movies.' It was weirdly comforting, seeing stuff that suggested some good things must have happened here.

Then he noticed something less comforting. Sitting on a shelf near Bart, but just out of his reach, was a timer, and it was silently ticking down the seconds until midnight.

A bomb.

Almost as if on cue, Zoom suddenly appeared in the attic, holding a small device in front of Bart's face.

"Know what this is?" He asked rhetorically, as he pressed a button that separated the device into two pieces. He attached one piece to the chains on the wall around Bart's hands, "Think of this one as the lock," He kept the other piece in his own hand, then got himself to the opposite end of the room, putting a good amount of distance between himself and Bart. "and this one, the key."

He pressed a button to activate the device. Nothing happened, or at least, it didn't seem like anything happened. Zoom inched his way closer to Bart, and once he got about 10 feet away, he reached out his hand and knocked on an invisible wall so that Bart could hear that there was something there. Then he vibrated his hand against it to test its strength. Zoom smiled, pleased with the results.

"Now no one, not even the man of steel himself, can get near you without the key." He waved around the device in his hand, then pressed a button that deactivated the concealed force field. Bart looked up at the device attached to his chained hands, then shifted his glance towards the bomb. Zoom's plan finally started to sink in.

"You're going to kill me..." Trying to speak made Bart realize how sore his throat was from almost suffocating _twice_ , so it didn't come out as loud as he had intended. Bart meant it as a question, but he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Maybe not. Let's see... Would you like to help me destroy the Flash?"

Bart opened his mouth to respond, but his throat was still so raw that nothing came out. He knew the question was a double edged sword. Bart was pretty sure that Zoom was just using him to get to Flash, anyways. He would probably kill Bart either way. He would also probably kill Barry either way. Bart suddenly regretted fantasizing about the Flash coming to save him. Now he hoped that Barry wouldn't give Zoom the satisfaction of even showing up. Zoom didn't deserve the privilege of having that confrontation on his terms.

Finally, Bart just shook his head in response.

"I didn't think so." Something changed in Zoom's face momentarily. It almost looked like, for a split second, he felt some kind of sadness. It disappeared just as quickly, though. If Bart had still been wearing the inhibitor collar, he probably wouldn't have noticed at all. Then Zoom's expression changed to a more familiar one. Anger.

Zoom punched the wall nearest to him, leaving a sizeable dent. Then he clenched his fists tightly, and he actually began trembling. Bart had seen Zoom angry before, but never like this. Zoom was more than just angry now. He seemed... hurt? Which Bart didn't understand at all. Seriously, what did he expect? Had Zoom really thought that Bart would go against everything he stood for, for _him_?

Eobard was still trembling when he began to explain. "After all this time... You act as if he's the only family you have left! I've been here this _entire_ _time_ , and even after everything! _Everything_ I've done for you, you still choose him over me…"

Bart fixed heavy hate-filled eyes on Zoom. How dare he act like was better than Barry. Barry never killed anyone, much less anyone that Bart loved. Barry never tortured Bart. Barry would never even hurt him, not intentionally. Bart was pretty sure that Barry might have actually _cared_ for him. And all Thawne had ever done was make Bart's entire life a living hell. Finally, Bart managed to get out a few gravely words. "What... have you _ever_ … done for me?"

Zoom frowned, and took a few moments to answer. "You really haven't figured it out, have you? … and I used to think you were so clever. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

Bart only blinked, trying to make some sort of sense of all this, but he was still in a haze that made thinking very difficult. He figured he must have a concussion from when he was knocked out earlier. Zoom just took a deep breath, trying to calm his agitation before he continued.

"Please, remind me again how you escaped from the Reach on the day you were meant to be executed…"

"Nathaniel saved me…" Bart said with as much conviction as he could muster, but it was really only a whisper. He had no idea what Zoom was trying to imply, but he didn't like it.

Zoom did not look happy with Bart's response. His fists clenched again and any parts of his face that weren't concealed by his mask began to redden with fury.

"You don't think it was strange that he was able to break into a highly secure Reach facility with no help? _I_ made sure there was only one guard at his entry point. _I_ made sure he would be able to get to you. I dropped clues to him for weeks to help him to find you. And who do you think let the psychic go walking around without a collar on? Hm? On that note, who do you think released you from _your_ collar, essentially guaranteeing your escape? If it wasn't for me, you would be long dead. If it wasn't for me, you would have never been able to come _here!_ If it wasn't for me..." He paused, and began quickly pacing the room, as if deciding whether or not to continue his rant.

Instead, he stopped right in front of Bart, knelt down so they were eye level, reached for his mask, and pulled it off…

Bart wasn't sure if it was the concussion, or what he saw that made the room spin. Everything was still so foggy, and he could hardly concentrate on the face in front of him, but there was no denying that he _knew_ the man before him. It was someone who he wouldn't have been successful in coming here without. Someone who Bart felt he owed saving the world to.

Zoom was the man from the market.

"Y-you…?" was all Bart could say. There was no way this was real. Zoom _wanted_ him to come to the past? Why hadn't he realized it sooner? He never questioned how Nathaniel had been able to save him, or why Psimon happened to be there in the right moment to subdue all the guards. He always assumed that it was Psimon who had something to do with his collar being turned off. He really thought that the man from the market was just a kind soul, helping out two people for a good cause. But it was all fake. It was all a part of Zoom's plans the entire time. Bart finally got out another word, it was barely even a whisper now. "...why?"

He was asking himself more than Zoom. Why hadn't he seen this coming? Why hadn't he questioned any of those coincidences? Why hadn't he thought twice about _any_ of it? Bart retreated into himself in an attempt to mentally shut down. He couldn't handle the rush of emotions and guilt that would come if he stayed aware. He didn't even want or care to know Zoom's answer, but he got it anyways, even if he was trying not to listen.

"Frankly, I didn't like sharing you with the Reach. I really thought you would see things differently after coming here. We could have been a great team… you and I, taking on the Flash together. It's been a dream of mine for quite some time now. I thought that if you could be broken, then maybe you could be fixed, and that you might start to see things more clearly. But I was wrong about one thing." He gently took Bart's chin in hand and inspected his blank expression and now glazed over green eyes. "You _are_ broken... Maybe you already were. I'll admit, I may have had something to do with it. But still, after my attempts to rectify that, you refuse to be fixed. And even if you didn't, I think you may be beyond repair." Zoom puffed out his lower lip in mock sympathy, or maybe even real sympathy? Bart felt like he didn't know anything anymore. "You can still serve one purpose, though." Zoom held more firmly onto Bart's chin and waited for a reaction.

Bart knew what his 'purpose' was. He was just bait. His purpose was to lure the Flash here, so Zoom could kill him. Maybe it was Bart's fate to help Zoom kill the Flash, since that's how things would have turned out regardless of any decisions he made willingly. He realized then that nothing he ever did had really mattered. Zoom was like a God, all controlling. All powerful, at least when it came to Bart. Suddenly Bart wasn't so grateful to be alive. How many lives would have been spared if it wasn't for Bart? No, if it wasn't for _Zoom._

Bart shook his head, trying to get Zoom to let go of his chin. The touch from that man made him want to throw up.

"You can't escape me, Bart…" Zoom only tightened his grip. "You thought you could run away from me, didn't you? Is that why you wanted to come here so badly? You thought you could come here and it'd be like the rest of your life never happened, that no one would remember but you? Well… I remember. I remember everything. And no matter how fast you run, no matter where or when in the world you run to, I will always be three steps ahead of you. The only place you can escape me is in death…" Zoom's face softened slightly. "And I'm finally ready to let you go."

At that point, Bart couldn't stop the anger from coming to the surface. As his anger grew, the room spun faster. He opened his mouth to yell,

" _The Flash was already dead! He was dead and you had me come back and save him just so_ you _could be the one to kill him? You killed everyone! Just so I could come back instead of Lian? Just so you could kill me? So you could kill the Flash! You really thought I would_ ever _want to join you? I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"_

but Bart's dry throat wouldn't allow the words to escape his lips.

Instead, his stomach contracted and allowed something else to come out of his mouth. Vomit.

Since there wasn't much to expel, nothing but stomach acid and blood burned it's way up Bart's already tender throat before sputtering out of his mouth and onto Zoom's hand.

Bart was shaking now, with rage or because he was sick. He couldn't steady his hands, and a small amount of fresh blood seeped down his arms from the cuffs. He wanted to scream out, but since he couldn't, he welcomed the pain for once. It was almost like a different kind of release.

Zoom stood up and shook the vomit off, barely acknowledging it, then he scanned the room for something to clean it up with. He shifted his attention to a thin blanket that laid on the floor in the corner. The next instant, he was wiping the bloody bile from his hands with the edge of the blanket, then he was inches from Bart's face once again.

"Disgusting." He muttered as he eyed the vomit dripping from Bart's chin. He ripped off one long piece of fabric and wiped the bile away, then pulled the dirty fabric over Bart's mouth and tied it tightly behind the top of his neck. Bart was too tired to resist, but the taste and smell of his own stomach acid and blood dared his gag reflex to summon more of it. Luckily, there was nothing left to release. Bart would have much preferred an instant death from an explosion than drowning in his own vomit.

"The Flash should show up soon enough, and I want his undivided attention. So I'm going to need you to be quiet for me, alright?" Zoom looked amused as he watched Bart struggle to breath in without gagging.

Then Zoom ripped off another piece of fabric from the blanket. Bart just sighed as it was wrapped around his eyes and tied behind his head.

Zoom walked away, and stopped before leaving the attic.

"Remember, Bart. No one can get near you without the key... _No one._ " He repeated for emphasis. Bart could practically hear the evil smirk that Zoom always wore. "Let's see if the Flash can get you out of this one."

Then Bart heard two things simultaneously that destroyed any semblance of hope that might have been left in his spirit.

The _click_ of the button activating the force field around him.

And the _clink_ of a small device hitting the floor, only a few feet away from his feet, _inside_ the force field.

 _The key._

* * *

 **AN: So did anyone see that coming?**

 **Any questions?**

 **Please review and let me know what you think :)**

 **I'm going out of town for a few days and won't have my computer, so the next update will have to be sometime next week. Sorry in advance for the longer-than-usual wait time between chapters. I promise it will be worth it the wait!**


	13. Rescue

**AN: Fight scenes are so hard for me to write, so please bear with me, I did my best**

* * *

-Zoom pov-

8:30PM

When Zoom took Bart to the house, there was one thing that he took with him. He let the Flash take back most of Batman's 'contingency items,' but he kept the one that was meant for speedsters. When the flash came to save Bart, the fight would be over before Barry even got inside. Zoom pulled out the device and enabled the force field around the house, then hid it in the attic, where Bart seemed to still be out cold.

Zoom was in no hurry. Knowing the Flash, he would probably show up at the last minute, anyway. He knew he had plenty of time to set everything up, and he wanted Bart to be awake for this. He wanted to give him one last chance at redemption, the boy deserved at least that much. If Bart refused, Zoom wanted to see the look on his face as he realized he was going to die. He wanted to bask in it.

In the meantime, Zoom decided it would be wise to take care of the neighbors. This was the night he had spent years in anticipation of. He wouldn't allow there to be any distractions, and he was sure there would be quite a bit of a commotion. Something as simple as a noise complaint could throw everything off. No, this night was going to be perfect. Zoom had to make sure of that.

...

-Bart pov-

10:25 PM

Bart had trouble keeping track of how much time had passed. When zoom left, he had a little less than two hours before the bomb would go off. It felt like it had been more than two hours, but Bart also knew that that was because he wasn't wearing the collar anymore, and that made the passage of time much more difficult to follow. He wished that the timer on the bomb wasn't silent, so at least he could keep track of how much time had passed. Every few seconds, he braced himself for the explosion. He knew it could happen at any second, but he also knew that it was entirely possible that only 15 minutes had passed since he'd been left alone. Every inch of his body was completely tense. He hoped there wasn't much time left. The anticipation of knowing that each passing second could be his last, but not knowing exactly _which one_ might just kill him before the bomb got the chance.

Bart was going to die, he knew that much. Even if someone did come for him, he knew there was no way they would be able to save him. The 'key' was trapped in the forcefield with him and with the bomb. He only hoped that no one else would be hurt- except maybe Zoom. Maybe the Flash really could still beat him. Zoom was faster than Barry, but maybe Barry was smarter. Maybe Zoom really could be defeated. Maybe Bart was the only one who would have to die tonight.

...

-Zoom pov-

11:48 PM

Zoom impatiently paced back and forth in the living room. Barry was really going to be cutting it close. He knew that the Flash was always late, but was this really something he would risk coming late to?

Finally, there was a knock on the door. The sound was muffled slightly by the force field and barely audible, but Zoom had been anticipating it. He rolled his eyes. He had hoped that the Flash would have attempted to vibrate through the wall. Having to actually fight him would be a minor inconvenience, but it was still doable. A fair fight may actually make this night all the more satisfying. With that thought, Zoom grinned as he eagerly opened the door, and Barry cautiously stepped inside at a human pace. He must have known about the force field. Even if he took his time stepping inside, one thing Barry didn't waste any time in was getting to the point.

"Where is he?"

Zoom chuckled. "You know it's not going to be that easy, right?"

"What do you want, then?" Flash was trying to appear brave, but he was really worried, and he couldn't hide it from his opposite.

There was an evil glint in Zoom's eye as he inched his way closer to the Flash. "I want to kill you." He said matter-of-factly, "but you already knew that."

Then he charged at full speed into Barry, trying to knock him into the force field. Barry barely dodged the attack by pivoting so that he ended up behind Zoom. He tried to use Zoom's momentum to throw him into the wall. Barry wasn't fast enough, though, and Zoom easily dodged his attempt. Zoom immediately began running around in sporadic patterns throughout the house. Barry followed for a moment, but couldn't keep up with him, so he resigned to stand still, trying to predict Zoom's movement pattern.

Zoom was too fast, and it came out of nowhere. Barry felt a powerful blow to his sternum that knocked the wind out of him. Then another two in his gut. He was able to strike back a few times, but Zoom was almost always able to block and counter his attacks. Barry knew he wasn't going to win this straight on, so he did the only thing he could think to do. He ran.

He put aside the fight to find Bart. He ran up the stairs, mostly to get away from Zoom, but he also had a hunch that Bart wouldn't be on the same floor they were fighting on. Zoom got up the stairs before Barry did, and before he was able to check any of the rooms, he was knocked down and thrown over the stairwell.

Before Flash hit the floor, his opponent was already downstairs, and instead of catching him, he rammed into him forcefully, pushing him towards the force field. Flash finally hit the wall, fast and hard, and was in turn electrocuted by the barrier. His body convulsed as Zoom held him against the wall, vibrating his hands against Barry so that he would continue to be electrocuted. He held him this way for several long seconds that lasted minutes to both of them. When Eobard finally allowed him to fall to the ground, the fight had seemingly already been sucked out of the Flash. He was on the floor, twitching and struggling to focus, unable to get up on his own accord.

"Given how long you were in contact with that force field, it'll be a minute before you'll be able to move again." Zoom smiled and knelt down, holding out an inhibitor collar for Flash to see, taking his time now just to rub it in. "You know what I really want? I don't just want to kill you. I want to _destroy_ you. I want to make you watch as your little bastard grandson gets blown to bits, and then I want to rip your broken heart right from your chest, and watch as the life leaves your eyes."

Barry shuddered, he still couldn't get up to face Eobard. Then Zoom reached forward to put the collar on Flash, ensuring that there would be no more fighting, but just before he did, the walls started to glow, and the force field was somehow disabled.

Zoom immediately rushed to the attic and saw that his device hadn't been touched.

"How…" he muttered before rushing back down, where the Flash was still struggling to move.

He was only able to move his arms slightly, but he managed to shakily pull something out from under his glove. It was identical to the device Zoom had put in the attic.

In that moment, someone else appeared in the room with a gust of wind, standing next to the Flash.

It was the Flash.

Another one.

Flash #2 caught Zoom's astounded glare and shrugged with a grin. "You did say you only wanted to fight _me_ , right?"

Zoom was dumbstruck at the sound of the voice. This wasn't just some imposter in a mask. This was Barry Allen. Another Barry Allen. They both looked and sounded the exact same.

A clone? A time remnant?

No. Barry wasn't fast enough yet to create a time remnant. He wouldn't learn that trick for a few more years. And a clone wouldn't have been able to absorb the speed force in the same way as the original. For a brief moment, Zoom was frozen.

"Thank you, Batman." Flash #1 said jokingly while he pocketed the device that lowered the force field. By then, he had gained his composure and gotten to his feet. The two Flashes exchanged a quick look before charging at Zoom together.

Zoom was still taken aback by the confusion of all of a sudden having to fight _two_ Flashes instead of one, and he was struck hard by the both of them. He quickly brushed aside the distraction and fought back. There may have been two of them, but no matter how you spin it, Eobard Thawne was still faster than Barry Allen.

If anyone had been inside the house watching, they wouldn't even know there was a fight happening. The only hint to what was going on would have been the occasional noises and furniture moving around from being crashed into. Other than that, the house was just filled with blurs of red and yellow streaks flying around.

Every time Zoom was able to get a hit in, it seemed like it was the first Flash he'd faced. The force field must have had a lasting effect, because he was slower now and much easier to hit than his double. Zoom used that to his advantage and grabbed ahold of the weakened Flash. He dragged him up the stairs and threw him off the rail a second time, knowing that the doppelganger would attempt to catch him. Zoom only needed a small diversion so he could figure out a way to even his odds a bit.

Zoom disappeared, and as soon as Flash #2 caught Flash #1 from his 2nd story drop and set him down, he rushed around the house looking for Zoom. He checked two rooms downstairs before he froze at the sound of Flash #1 screaming in agony. He rushed back to the living room, which was the source of the noise. When he got to the room, he saw Flash #1 on the floor with a large cooking knife sticking out of the his thigh.

Then Flash #2 felt a painful blow to his temple, which caused his vision to blur dangerously. It almost knocked him out. Almost.

"Two against one is just not fair. I thought you were better than that." Zoom said from behind him.

Flash #2 rushed towards Flash #1 as soon as his vision cleared. Zoom charged towards both of them, expecting to easily overpower Flash #2 now that he only had one opponent to worry about again. But the newer Flash was faster than Zoom expected. He saw Zoom coming and flipped him over his shoulder when he tried to attack.

Somehow, this newer Flash was managing to dodge every attack Zoom threw at him, and sometimes even counter them before Zoom had time to process. Was this Flash actually faster than Zoom? It wasn't possible. It couldn't be.

Zoom found himself actually getting a bit winded from constantly attacking and not hitting anything. Then without any warning, Flash #2 ran away, phasing through the wall and leaving Zoom alone with the injured Flash.

Zoom had half a mind to run after him, but he had other things to do. He decided to use the opportunity to kill the original Flash. If the other Flash had been from the future, then killing this one would effectively end both of them.

Before Zoom turned to focus on the original Flash, he heard something flying in the air behind him, and it all might as well have been happening in slow motion with how quickly Zoom was processing it.

He turned to see a blood soaked blade hurtling towards him, and he had just enough time to lean away. The blade that had been in Flash's leg planted itself into the wall behind Zoom. He turned towards the knife to pull it out.

Zoom smiled as he pulled the knife from the wall. Then he heard another gust of wind behind him. Even in his last moments, Barry was persistent, Zoom would give him that much. He turned to locate and move out of the way of whatever was being thrown at him now. But this time, there was nothing slow about it.

Flash #2 was back, even faster than before. He leapt into the room with his fist raised, having gained the energy from running around the _entire world_. With that kind of momentum, Zoom couldn't finish turning around to get a look, and the Flash's infinite mass punch landed right on the back of Zoom's head, knocking him out cold.

...

11:59PM

Zoom was awakened by the electricity of an inhibitor collar swelling through his body. The electrical surge lasted almost a full minute. His hands were bound behind his back, so he couldn't even follow his body's instinct to coddle his neck once the shock was over, or to plug his ears to avoid having to hear the words he was the most afraid of, coming from the voice of the last person he would have wanted to hear. Barry Allen.

"It's over, Zoom. You lost."

Just then, there was a muffled _boom_ coming from the attic, and despite his predicament, Zoom's demeanor completely changed. He was satisfied.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger! Next chapter is in the works, so it won't be too long of a wait. Soon you'll see why/how there were two Barry Allens and what happened to Bart.**

 **I know I said there would only be a few more chapters a couple of chapters ago, but I lied. Sorry bout it.**

 **Also please review it makes me very happy :)**


	14. Rescue pt 2

**AN: translations for Jaime's Spanish/spanglish at the end. Sorry if I overdid it. I just love that there is a bilingual character out there and Spanish was my first language so I like that I can put it in here a bit :) You should still be able to understand it if you skip that spanish stuff, because it's mostly either repeated in english or it just accentuates the other stuff he's saying, like how he talks in yj.**

* * *

-Jaime-

11:53 PM

Jaime was flying around high enough that he would probably just be mistaken for a bird by anyone who noticed him. He hovered as close to the house as he could get, waiting as patiently as he could, given the situation. He wanted to just dive down and help already, but he had to wait. After what felt like ages, he finally heard Barry's voice in his comm.

"Alright, we're done here. I'm on my way. Disable the forcefield now."

Jaime let out a sigh of relief. Help was coming, and he would be able to join the action soon enough.

A few seconds later, Jaime heard Barry's voice in his comm again.

"You did say you only wanted to fight _me_ , right?"

And after another few seconds, you guessed it, Barry's voice again.

"Thank you, Batman." Finally. That was Jaime's cue. It meant Zoom was thoroughly distracted.

"Got it. I'm going in." He responded.

With that, he swooped down closer to the house, and scanned for Bart. For some reason, his scarab didn't recognize any organic matter besides Zoom and his two adversaries. His heart skipped a few beats at the thought that Bart might not even be there at all. Then this will all have been for nothing.

After a few moments, the scarab began to pick up a faint disturbance in the attic, though, so Jaime decided to check there. He prayed that Bart would be there and that he would be okay.

"Try to keep Zoom downstairs. I'll be in the attic." Jaime warned into his comm.

He snuck into the house through a bedroom window on the second floor. He hoped Zoom would be too distracted by the fight to notice him come in. He crept out of the room and into the hallway as quickly and quietly as he could manage. The attic ladder was already down, so he rushed up. He quietly closed the access door behind him so that whatever happened up here would be harder for Zoom to hear. When he turned around, he almost tripped over himself in a mixture of excitement and worry at what he saw.

Bart was here, but he didn't look so good. He sat with his head slumped forward and his arms chained up above his head. He looked like he was unconscious, but it was hard to tell because of the blindfold over his eyes. Even if he was awake, he didn't react at all to the sounds of someone coming up.

Then Jaime noticed the bomb. Six minutes left.

Jaime sprinted towards Bart, but got the wind knocked out of him when he ran into an invisible wall that didn't budge. That must have been the reason he couldn't detect Bart from the outside. He immediately fired up his plasma cannon, making sure Bart or the bomb were not in his line of fire. He chose the plasma cannon specifically because it was quiet, but still powerful, then he shot it into the barrier in front of him.

The intense beam rebounded right off the wall and hit Jaime hard, knocking him several feet back and to the ground. If it wasn't for his suit, the powerful blast might have killed him, or at least left some major damage. He recoiled at the noise his body made when it hit the floor. Hopefully Zoom was still too distracted to notice.

Once Jaime got to his feet, he addressed his scarab.

"How can I get past this wall?" He asked while he frustratedly kicked the invisible barrier. The scarab scanned the area and identified the source of the force field, directing Jaime's attention to the key.

 _This device is the only thing that can disable the force field, Jaime Reyes. It appears to be of the Reach. Examining now for further information._

While the scarab inspected the key for any loopholes, Jaime noticed how bad Bart's condition was. He knew Bart had lost weight from the video they watched, but seeing it up close and in person was something different. His ribs protruded out, making noticeable imprints on his skin that revealed some of them to be visibly broken. His arms barely had any flesh between the skin and bone. Without an inhibitor collar on, his quickened metabolism must have been eating him alive. Even though Bart trained himself to not need as much food as other speedsters, he still looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

He didn't look like he had healed from any of the injuries he sustained from even the first video that Zoom sent. Bart's legs still looked broken, they were swollen at the ankles and knees and his left leg was bent in a weird way halfway down his calf. Deep cuts and bruises still covered most of his body.

Bart's hands and forearms had also turned purple from the cuffs, and his blackened veins now trailed even further up his arms than before. If Jaime didn't get those cuffs off of Bart soon, they would probably kill him.

Jaime was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts by the undeniable sound of Barry screaming out in pain downstairs. He wanted to go down and help, but he had to trust that Barry(s) could handle Zoom. Jaime had to get Bart out first, then he could worry about Barry.

Finally, the scarab announced its findings.

 _Analysis complete. It appears that the device is the only thing that can move through the barrier while it is active._

"You mean there's no other way to get in? No puedo creer que _that's_ the only way in! There's gotta be something!"

 _The device is the only thing that can move through the barrier while it is active._

"No! There has to be another way!" Jaime slammed his armoured fist into the force field. There was no way he got this close to saving Bart just to be told his only shot was barely out of his reach.

 _The device is the only thing that can move through the barrier while it-_

"Yeah, I _know_ , ya dijiste!" Jaime snapped, then kicked the force field again with enough force that his armour was once again the only thing preventing an injury. Bart's head twitched up slightly at the noise from the kick, he must have been awake after all, or maybe he was just waking up. Jaime's stomach twisted, he didn't want Bart to be awake if he couldn't save him. Jaime's knees gave out and he dropped down on them.

"No, no, no, no…" Jaime muttered to himself. He could feel tears beginning to sting behind his eyes. There _had_ to be another way. He was so close.

Then it clicked. The device was the only thing that could move through the barrier while it was active. That's it! The key could be moved in and out of the force field!

"Ya lo entiendo! How do we get it out then?" Jaime tried to keep his voice down, but he was way too anxious to pay too much attention to his volume. It was a good thing Zoom was still fighting two Flashes, otherwise he definitely would have been found out by now.

The scarab didn't bother answering, instead it turned the fist of Jaime's suit into a special kind of magnet that made the key slowly gravitate towards it, the key moved faster as it got closer, and it finally flew right into Jaime's hand. Jaime almost felt bad for snapping at Khaji da before, but he was too focused. He disabled the wall as soon as he had the key, then ran towards Bart and fell to his knees in front of him.

He pulled off the blindfold, and saw Bart's eyes drooping like he was struggling to stay awake. That changed as soon as Bart saw Jaime, though, and his lids shot wide open in terror. He flinched hard and accidentally yanked on his restraints, which must have been extremely painful because Bart cried out hoarsely through the gag. Jaime noticed that the sudden movement caused something to visibly pulse through Bart's poisoned veins, and the black that filled them painted itself even further up his arms, halfway between his elbows and his armpits now. Jaime wondered how much longer Bart could have survived like this.

Bart's pupils were dilated so large that the emerald irises surrounding them were barely visible. Between the dilated pupils, and what looked like dried puke on the gag between his lips, Jaime figured Bart had a concussion.

The fear in Bart's bloodshot eyes broke Jaime's heart, and he realized there was no way Bart could have known he was off mode.

"It's okay! It's me, Bart, it's me!" Jaime pleaded. "I'm getting you out of here. You're going to be okay, I pro-" He cut himself off. The last time he made a promise to Bart, he ended up getting him kidnapped. Bart would probably never believe a promise coming from Jaime again. Instead, he finished his thought by saying, "You'll see."

Then Jaime reached out his hand to pull the gag from Bart's mouth. Bart flinched his head away when Jaime reached towards him, and let a raspy, muffled whimper barely escape through the gag before Jaime pulled it off. Bart just stared at Jaime, wide eyed and trembling.

Jaime swallowed the guilty lump in his throat, blinked back a tear, and focused on getting Bart free. He didn't bother trying to pick the lock on the chains connecting Bart's hands to the wall, he just aimed and shot out a thin laser from his fist, and the chain broke. Bart surprisingly let Jaime catch his hands as they fell from above his head. He hadn't stopped trembling, but he was at least not going to try to resist and make his rescue any harder than it already was. That either meant he believed that Jaime was really trying to help, or that he was too afraid to resist. Jaime wished it was the former, but he was almost sure that wasn't the case.

Jaime tried to break the cuffs the same way he did the chains, carefully aiming the laser between Bart's wrists so it wouldn't cut through his skin. Even so, Bart writhed in pain as soon as the laser touched the metal and managed to get out a wounded whisper-scream.

"Stop! Please stop!" His hoarse pleas were all it took for Jaime to immediately shut off the laser.

"I'm sorry! I don't want to hurt you! I don't know how else to get these off. I'll figure out something else, don't worry. Khaji?"

 _There is another way, but there is not enough time to free the Impulse before the bomb detonates. I recommend strategic retreat._

Jaime's eyes darted to the timer. Two minutes.

Just then, they both heard the sound of a loud crash downstairs. Jaime panicked, if the bomb went off, would Barry be able to get out of the way and still catch Zoom? Would he be able to get away at all if he was injured? He had to believe their plan would work. His responsibility was to get Bart to safety, he couldn't worry about anything else. Not yet.

"Bart, I can't get these off you in time, we have to go, now!" Jaime said in a panic.

Bart couldn't speak, but he shook his head, staring at Jaime with wide insistent eyes. At first, Jaime thought Bart was just afraid to go with him, but then Bart turned his attention to the bomb, and Jaime realized they must have been worrying about the same thing. Bart didn't want Barry to get caught in the explosion.

"Don't worry." Jaime knew Barry should be fast enough to get away, but given the screaming he heard a few minutes ago, he was likely to be injured, or maybe Zoom was able to contain him somehow.

Bart didn't want to leave unless he knew Barry would be safe. Jaime understood that, he wanted to make sure everyone was safe too.

"Pues… maybe I can diffuse it?" Jaime rushed over to the bomb, unsure if that was even possible.

One minute.

Jaime frantically fidgeted with the bomb, trying to make sense of the scarab's directions. Even with the help of his scarab, this was much more complicated that he imagined. Jaime didn't know how Robin made this look so _easy_. He noticed Bart was drifting off, and he scolded as firmly as he could without making too much noise, cutting wires between his words.

"Despiértate! Bart, por favor, you have to stay awake!" Jaime was afraid Bart might slip into a coma if he fell asleep right now.

30 seconds.

Just then, Jaime got an idea. He picked Bart up in his arms and rushed him to the other end of the attic. Then he held out the key, making sure Bart could see him press a button to activate the barrier around the bomb.

"That should contain the explosion, right?"

 _Affirmative, Jaime Reyes._

"Gracias a dios! Happy?" He looked at Bart. Even though Bart's eyes were glassy and he looked like he was only vaguely aware of what was going on, the corners of his mouth twitched up slightly. It wasn't really a smile, but given the situation, it was more than Jaime could have ever hoped for.

Jaime used his communicator to let Barry know they were okay.

"Bart's safe. We're getting out now"

He quickly grabbed a blanket from the floor and laid it gently over Bart, then blasted a hole in the ceiling, and flew away with Bart in his arms.

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Translations: no puedo creer que- I don't believe that

ya dijiste- you already said that

Ya lo entiendo- now I get it

Pues- well

Despiértate- wake up

Por favor- please

Gracias a dios- thank god

* * *

 **AN: What do you want to go down in the upcoming chapter(s)? You'll definitely find out in the next chapter how Barry doubled himself and got faster than Zoom. What else do you want besides that? There's going to be some intense stuff coming up with Bart healing. I know there has to be a confrontation between Bart and Wally, and another one between Bart and Jaime. Do you want Bart to forgive everyone? Should he be angry? Anything else you want to see before this comes to an end?**

 **Also I feel like I should explain, since Zoom was being electrocuted at the time that Jaime blasted through the ceiling to escape with Bart, he didn't hear it.**


	15. Bart's Memories Pt 4

**AN: Thanks especially to Zatannagurl, Rainfall04, and the guest accounts who reviewed the last chapter! The reviews help me so much 3**

 **translations for Jaime's spanish will be at the end  
**

 **Sorry for the long-ish (compared to normal) wait between chapters again. Here, have a longer than usual chapter for your troubles :)**

* * *

Chapter 15

" _It's over, Zoom. You lost."_

 _Just then, there was a muffled_ boom _coming from the attic, and despite his predicament, Zoom's demeanor completely changed. He was satisfied._

" _I wouldn't be so sure."_

 _..._

Flash #2 quickly fashioned a tourniquet out of a t-shirt he found in one of the rooms and tied it tightly around his double's leg, then left and reappeared with a towel. He guided Flash #1's hand to press the towel on the wound, "Hold that there, okay?" they both ignored Zoom completely.

Zoom's smile faded when he realized that neither of the Flashes reacted in the slightest to the sound of the explosion. There was no way they could have saved the boy, they were fighting him the entire time. He had done everything right. He took every precaution. He had been planning this for _years_. They couldn't have possibly outsmarted him with only a few hours to plan. It was just not possible. Zoom couldn't believe it. He refused. Instead, he tried desperately to get a reaction out of the two Flashes in front of him

"You're not concerned about your grandson? He was up there with the bomb you know… I understand why you wouldn't want to go up to find him, there won't be much of a body left to bury."

No response. How were they so calm? They both continued to ignore him, and neither of them even tried to check the attic for Bart.

"How did you do it?" Zoom finally asked once it sunk in that he had failed. His pride kicked him for asking, but he had to know.

Both Flashes just smirked and pulled off their masks, holding them in their hands.

Nothing changed.

They both looked the exact same, they were both Barry Allen.

But then Flash #1 let his mask fall to the ground. As soon as it was no longer in contact with him, his whole body changed. He wasn't quite as muscular as the other Flash, and he became a bit shorter. His blonde hair transformed into thick red locks, and even his costume changed from the traditional scarlet speedster's outfit, to one with a bit more yellow than red, belonging to none other than Kid Flash. The only thing that didn't change was his wounded leg. He had lost a lot of blood by now, but was holding it together pretty well. His accelerated healing was already starting to close off some of the wound now that the bleeding was slowed. Despite his injury, he laughed quietly at Zoom's awestruck expression, and finally answered his question.

"Magic." Wally joked while dawning spirit fingers. If Barry hadn't actually seen Zatanna use a glamour charm on the mask, he would have thought Wally was being sarcastic. That kid always did have a weird thing about magic, but he had gotten over it years ago. Barry figured he was trying to be ironic in his sarcasm? Who knows, Wally was weird.

Zoom still looked confused. He turned his attention to Barry.

"You've gotten faster…"

"I have." Barry smiled widely at Zoom. "I guess I really am the fastest man in the world."

Barry wasn't usually one to gloat, but he really couldn't help it in this situation. He thought about telling Zoom everything, just to rub it in his face, but the truth would have been slightly less satisfying.

Unfortunately, Barry's newfound extra speed was only temporary. In truth, it had probably already worn off. The truth was that Jay Garrick had volunteered to give up his speed for the moment to help Barry defeat Zoom. With the help of Zatanna's magic, they were able to perform a ritual that would allow Barry to tap into Jay's speed temporarily. Even with Jay and Barry both willing participants, Zatanna needed as much time as she could get to perform the ritual, so she first performed a simple glamour charm for Wally so he could stall until Barry was as fast as he needed to be to defeat Zoom.

Barry decided not to tell Zoom any of this. It would be much more gratifying if Zoom thought Barry was actually faster than him.

"You _lost_ , Zoom." Barry folded his arms across his chest, grin still just as wide.

Zoom still didn't quite look defeated. Something in him clicked and he regained his poise.

"You couldn't be more wrong, Barry. I haven't lost. I know you have your ridiculous code of honor, so you can't kill me. You won't. And until the day I die, I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell. I promise you that. As long as I'm alive, I win." Zoom chuckled softly.

"And if you ever do decide to stop me for good, then your little code will have been broken, and I'll still have won. No matter how you spin it, I will always win." Zoom's laugh became louder and it eventually turned into uncontrollable maniacal laughter.

Wally looked at Barry, and saw that he was clearly bothered. He must have been worried that Zoom was right. Barry looked like he might snap Zoom's neck right there, so Wally inserted himself in the conversation, trying to lighten Barry's mood.

"Oh! Hey, Zoom, I've got one! Who wins when you get immobilized and locked up at Iron Heights?"

Zoom growled and lunged forward at Wally. Even though he had a collar on and had his hands tied behind his back, Barry grabbed Zoom with much more force than was necessary and slammed him into the ground, knocking him out once again.

…

-Bart-

Bart tried to keep himself awake, but he was sure none of this was real. It felt like he was dreaming. Everything was foggy. He was vaguely aware that he was flying, although he didn't even notice that he was being carried, much less whose arms he was being carried in. He marveled up at the sky and the stars in all their glory before closing his eyes and drifting off.

-flashback-

Where Bart came from, keeping track of the days of the week and times of the year was almost impossible. The weather didn't change too much throughout the seasons, and the ashy snow rained down almost all year long. Consequently, Bart didn't know when his birthday was. Most people didn't, but Wally somehow kept track of the passing days, and made sure to give Bart a small celebration every year.

They couldn't do much besides enjoy each other's company, but Wally always figured out a way to make it worthwhile, and Bart _lived_ for those days.

Over time, Bart began to notice that his 'birthday' would always happen to fall on a day that was particularly hard for him.

Whether it was because of a bad panic attack, mourning his parents, almost getting caught by the Reach, or something else entirely, Wally always managed to bring out the festivities after whatever hardships Bart was dealing with. When Bart caught on, he began counting the days down himself, ready to catch Wally in the act on his next 'birthday.'

One day, while Wally was out scavenging for food, Bart was alone. They had been living in an abandoned house for a while now, and it was really starting to feel like home. Bart was comfortable here.

Suddenly, the sound of a window shattering sent Bart racing (at a human speed) to his hiding spot. He hid in a closet in what was once a bedroom, and listened.

"Someone left here not too long ago. But we don't have a lot of time. Take what you can find and let's go."

They were looters. All Bart could do was stay quiet and hope no one found him. There wasn't much for them to take, anyways. The only belongings Bart had were in the closet with him, one jacket and a small box.

There was barely any value to what he had in the box. A few drawings he had made with Wally when they found paper once, a dead rose (Bart found it while scavenging, thought it was pretty, and he'd never seen a flower before), and a ring. The ring was the only thing they might want. It belonged to his mother, and it was the last thing he had of his parents.

Footsteps came into the room he was hiding in. He held onto the box for dear life and tried to steady his breathing so no one would hear him. Surely enough, though, the footsteps came directly towards the closet. Bart opened the box to try and hide the ring, but the door opened before he could get to it. He slammed the box shut and clung to it tight.

There were two men and a woman staring down at Bart.

"Ha. Looks like we found something." One of the men pried the box from Bart's hands.

"Hey! That's mine!" Bart shouted, springing to his feet without thinking and trying to grab at his box.

"We don't have time for this. Tie him up while we search the rest of the place." The woman commanded, and the man who held the box backhanded Bart with his free hand, knocking him to the ground. Then he put down the box and quickly pulled Bart's arms behind his back, then wrapped what felt like a music wire around his wrists. Bart thrashed around, trying to free himself from the man's firm grip. Even though the man was slightly underweight, he was still easily three or four times as heavy as Bart, and Bart's struggles were futile. The man gave his feet the same treatment by tying them together with the music wire, then shoved him back in the closet despite Bart's protests, and shut the door while the other two raided the rest of the house.

The man picked the box back up and opened it to inspect its contents, then he called out to the others.

"Looks like it's just a bunch of crap…" Bart let out a sigh of relief. "Wait. Here's something." He must have found the ring.

"Wait! No, please! You can't take that!" Bart shouted, and kicked at the door with his bound feet, but they were already leaving.

Bart continued kicking at the door and shouting at them until he heard them crawl back out the window they came from. Bart struggled hopelessly, tears already streaming down his cheeks, but he quickly realized that moving would only make it worse. He wouldn't dare use his speed to vibrate out of the restraints. He was sure the Reach had some kind of way to track the use of powers. The harsh wires were already starting to chafe his wrists and ankles, so he resigned to holding still.

Bart heard some kind of altercation outside. It lasted a few minutes. Every once in a while, he could hear a sharp cry of pain, and the fight ended with the sounds of a few sets of feet running away. Then more footsteps came back inside and the door opened again to reveal Bart's favorite redhead (mostly grayhead, now, actually), holding Bart's favorite box.

"Wally!" Bart lit up and laughed cheerfully while Wally carefully untied him, completely forgetting how upset he had been moments earlier.

"The nerve of some people." Wally frowned after untying Bart's feet. He wiped away a small amount of blood from Bart's lip with one thumb, and a stray tear from his cheek with the other before working on untying his hands.

"What kind of person do you have to be to hurt a defenseless kid," he shook his head, doing his best to conceal a playful smirk, "and on his _birthday,_ no less."

Wally laughed as Bart's chin dropped in the biggest open-mouthed smile he had ever seen. Bart still had visible tear tracks staining his dirt-covered cheeks, but if his hearty grin was any indication, he was far from upset now. This kid sure was easy to cheer up. Wally let out a sigh of relief at Bart's joyful demeanor.

As soon as Bart's hands were free, he leapt into Wally's arms, and Wally enthusiastically returned the embrace.

Wally would never admit how afraid he was when he saw those looters leaving, or how relieved he was when he saw that Bart was still in one piece, relatively unharmed. He didn't know what he would do if Bart got hurt while he wasn't around.

"God, I love you, kid. Do you know that?"

Wally rested his chin on Bart's shoulder while Bart curled up into Wally's chest, both of their arms still wrapped around each other.

"I know, Wally."

Wally frowned, then teasingly gave Bart a noogie, still holding on to him with one arm.

"Where's my 'I love you too,' huh?'"

Bart giggled and tried to pull away from Wally's hold. "Stop it! I love you too!"

Wally just chuckled and let Bart fall into his lap. Bart relaxed and gazed up at Wally with smiling eyes, then Wally pulled something out of his pocket.

"I found this awhile ago, but I was saving it for today." He held out a packet of… something.

"What's that?" Bart asked.

"Hot chocolate. I used to have this all the time when I was a kid. We can drink it on the roof. It's amazing. You'll see."

It was tradition on Bart's 'birthday' that they would lay on the roof and watch the sunset. The sky would turn from a lightish gray to a grayish orange to a darkish gray. It wasn't much of a sight, honestly. Wally insisted that it used to be beautiful, but Bart still liked it. Wally would describe to Bart what the sunset used to look like, in all its colorful brilliance. Then he would describe the clear night sky filled with stars, and Bart would picture it in wonder.

They boiled water over a fire, and made a single cup of hot chocolate to share. They brought it up to the roof to enjoy and talk about the sky.

Bart took a slow sip and stared at Wally in awe.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life."

Wally just smiled and nudged Bart's shoulder.

"Nothing but the best for your birthday, kid."

Bart laughed, realizing just then that(if he had been counting correctly), it had only been about 8 months since his last 'birthday.' According to Wally, this would be his 12th birthday. He hadn't had many interactions with other people, so he had no idea what a normal 12 year old was supposed to look like, and he always just took Wally's word for it.

"Hey, Wally... how old am I, really?"

Wally laughed, too. He knew Bart would figure out his ruse eventually, and he couldn't keep up the act forever. Then his laugh trailed off as he thought about it.

"I'm really not sure, kid... You're probably around 9. Maybe 10. I really never was the best at keeping track of time."

Bart looked up at the sky, imagining thousands of glimmering stars somewhere behind all the grey, and sighed.

"So do we have to stop celebrating fake birthdays now that I figured it out?"

Wally laid back and Bart leaned into him, neither of them taking their eyes off of the sky.

"Hell no."

...

-present-

"Bart, stay with me! You can do this, stay awake! Just a little while longer..."

Bart's eyes fluttered open, even though he still felt like he was dreaming. He was still flying, or at least that's what it felt like. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes were more stars. It was all he could see, actually. He'd never seen this many stars before, even since coming to the past, and he wasn't sure if they were real or if he was just that out of it.

He could feel that someone was holding him. The rational part of his brain was not functioning, and he was sure it was Wally whose strong arms he was wrapped in. Not the younger Wally from this time, who Bart was sure wanted nothing to do with him, but the Wally he grew up with. The Wally who always made everything better. The one who loved Bart unconditionally.

Bart's hero. That Wally.

Bart loosened his body into the arms that held him- Wally's arms, he'd decided. He kept closing his eyes and Wally kept telling him to stay awake.

He didn't know when he'd stopped flying, but he eventually found himself laying on a cot. There was a steady, somewhat quick, beeping noise, like you would expect to hear in a hospital. If Bart had been coherent, he may have guessed that it was a heart monitor in the watchtower's medical bay. The steady beeping was slightly faster than a normal human's heartbeat, but slower than a speedster's should be. His body felt like it was floating, but it also felt heavy somehow. He just wanted to sleep, and he knew he might not wake up if he did. Still, sleep called to him. The beeping slowed as Bart let himself drift away.

It slowed, and slowed… until it finally became one monotonous tone.

...

Bart almost died when Zoom drowned him, but this time was different. This time, all he saw were stars. Beautiful stars. But this time, Bart didn't think he was ready to die anymore. Not when he had Wally. If Wally was here, and Bart was sure he was, then Bart wanted to live. He could still hear the sound of the machine flatlining. Bart knew he wasn't gone just yet, but willing himself back into awareness was much harder than dying.

There was a distant voice that began to get louder and louder until it sounded like someone was shouting right next to him.

"Stay with me, Bart! No, no, no! Por favor no me dejes! Wake up! You have to wake up!" The voice cracked, and gave way to uncontrollable sobbing, gasping and hiccuping in between words.

"You don't get to die on me, not _now_! You're _safe_ now, it's _over_! You can wake up now, Bart, please! You're okay, you're okay, you're okay…"

Then something was placed on Bart's chest and a sudden electric current rushed through him, not that he could feel it. Following that, the beeping finally started up again.

After a world of effort, Bart could focus enough to realize someone was holding his hands, still sobbing and saying things Bart didn't understand.

 _Wally?_

"I'm so sorry. Es mi culpa, todo es mi culpa…"

Bart finally opened his eyes, but he was still mostly just seeing stars. He didn't know how much time had passed before he was finally able to speak.

"Wally?" Bart's voice was still raspy and barely audible.

"No, Bart…" Another crack in the voice. "It's me, Jaime. Wally and Barry will be here soon, okay? I'm going to try to take these off you, now. You're doing so great, Bart. Just, please, please stay with me, okay?" Blue tendrils came from Jaime's scarab and picked at the shackles on Bart's wrists. If Bart noticed the movement at all, he didn't show it.

"Tell Wally..." Bart trailed off and closed his eyes again.

"Bart, please." Jaime tapped lightly on Bart's cheek. "Despiértate, Bart por favor, tell him what?"

Without opening his eyes, a weak smile tugged at Bart's lips.

"Tell him it's my birthday."

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Translations:

Por favor no me dejes- please don't leave me

Es mi culpa, todo es mi culpa- it's my fault, it's all my fault

Despiértate- wake up

* * *

 **IMPORTANT: PLEASE HELP**

 **It just occurred to me that since this part of my story is taking place during the last few episodes of the show, Wally is supposed to disappear soon. And I don't know how I feel about that. I could write this story either way, with Wally disappearing (which would be devastating, but I could do it) or I could just ignore that whole part and keep Wally in the story so he and Bart can hash things out. What do yall think? I'm so torn.**

 **This chapter was really hard for me to write, so please let me know what you liked and maybe what you didn't. I really hope you liked it! As always, constructive criticism is welcomed, but please don't be _too_ harsh, and kind words are also very very much appreciated :)**

 **Also, I am not a medical professional, so the next chapter will probably take me a little while to write. I want it to be realistic and I want to do it right, so thanks in advance for your patience!**


	16. Healing

**Tw: icky medical stuff, skip it if you gotta**

 **Also, Jaime and Bart will not be at the summit between the reach and the light, instead, Batman and Flash will be there, other than that, picture that it goes pretty close to how it went in the show. I won't be writing about it, so feel free to use your imagination.**

 **Also also, like I said, I'm not a medical professional, so I'm going mostly off of my own personal experience. Please just focus on the feelings.**

* * *

Barry rushed Wally to the watchtower's medical facilities as soon as Zoom had been taken care of. Wally couldn't run because of his leg, and he had lost a lot of blood already, so Barry carried him. Once they got there, they saw Jaime already waiting outside.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Jaime stood up as soon as he saw Wally's leg.

"I'm fine. What about Bart? Is he okay?" Wally asked.

"I don't know, last I saw him, he wasn't doing so great. Doctor Midnite's in there with him now. He said he would let us know as soon as he can."

Barry looked worried, but nodded anyways.

"We won't bother him, then. Come on, let's get your leg checked out." Barry had enough experience with this kind of thing to treat Wally's leg on his own with the equipment they had at the Watchtower. He helped Wally inside the med bay, and Jaime was left to wait alone once again.

Time felt like it stood excruciatingly still. Jaime wondered how speedsters could live like this. He couldn't stand the waiting. If only to pass the time, Jaime finally let a restless sleep consume him.

...

Jaime woke up to Barry shaking his shoulder softly. Barry, Wally, and Doctor Midnite were all standing in front of him. Wally's leg looked almost healed by now, so it had to have been a couple of hours. Doctor Midnite's expression was unreadable, and he was holding a clipboard.

"Is he okay?" Jaime asked, and stood up right away.

Doctor Midnite cleared his throat and looked at his clipboard, then spoke as matter-of-factly as he could.

"For the moment, his condition is stable, but critical. He's lost a lot of blood, but thanks to Barry, we were able to perform a blood transfusion. There are quite a few broken bones, including both ankles and wrists, his left tibia, twelve ribs: Four fractures and eight broken, although some are broken in more than one place. Both of his kneecaps are shattered. There were also some small facial fractures, which should heal on their own. His jaw and both his shoulders were dislocated, and looked to have been dislocated multiple times in the last few days. I realigned his shoulders and jaw, and most of his other broken bones should heal on their own. However, he already has one collapsed lung due to the broken ribs, and is at risk for pneumonia. He is extremely malnourished, and was losing both muscle mass and body fat by the minute, so I have him hooked up to a calorie rich liquid feed system. This should hopefully help him heal faster. He also has a severe concussion, and some internal bleeding. He had several seizures that didn't last long, but I went ahead and used the medical restraints to keep him still so his injuries wouldn't worsen. They'll be removed once he's awake and no longer in danger of hurting himself. I'm going to perform surgery to correct the internal bleeding once his body is recovered from the shock."

Barry was still supporting Wally, and they were both vibrating, even though they had no doubt already heard the news. Jaime had to hold on to the arm of the chair to avoid falling over. He knew it had to have been bad, but hearing it all said out loud so plainly was almost more than he could handle. His blood boiled with an anger he'd never felt before, but it wasn't for Professor Zoom, or for the Reach. Jaime was angry with himself. This was because of _him_.

"He's going to make it, right? He's going to be okay?" Jaime's voice faltered and he sat down to keep from falling.

"It's hard to say. As long as there are no complications with the surgery, his life shouldn't be in any immediate danger anymore. There may be some lasting effects due to brain trauma. We'll know more once he wakes up."

…

Early the next morning, Wally, Barry and Jaime were finally able to see Bart. He was still unconscious, and they were told he was heavily sedated and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Jaime noticed how small and fragile Bart looked in the bed. Even though he already looked a little better since he was getting nourishment through an IV, he still looked tiny. His frail body hardly filled the hospital gown he was wearing. His face and neck were bruised up pretty badly, but he still looked like himself. He had an oxygen mask on, and had bandages covering much of his body. His wrists and ankles were still strapped down with the medical restraints, which Jaime hated. Bart would no doubt hate it, too. After all that time spent as Zoom's prisoner, Jaime couldn't imagine that Bart would appreciate being restrained very much.

Eventually Wally and Barry left to handle the summit with the rest of the team, and Jaime stayed behind to be with Bart. He still didn't want to get anywhere near the Reach, and he didn't want Bart to be alone.

' _He's going to be okay_.' Jaime thought to himself, before leaning back in his chair to rest his head against the wall behind him. It had been almost a full day without leaving Bart's side. Jaime sighed loudly, and was about to give himself permission to fall asleep again when Bart's eyes shot open.

…

-Bart pov-

Bart heard the steady beeping of what was probably a heart monitor. He noticed that he didn't feel hungry, and it was the first time he experienced the absence of hunger since before he'd been kidnapped. Bart also noticed that he felt a different kind of pain than before. It was a more dull pain, like you would expect when broken bones are healing, almost like growing pains. He also felt something covering his nose and mouth. It felt way too much like a gag, but Bart told himself that if he had been allowed to heal, maybe he was in a hospital, so maybe it was an oxygen mask?

Bart wondered if it was really all over. But maybe this was just a dream, and he wasn't really in a hospital. Maybe this wasn't a dream, and maybe that was worse. Maybe Zoom was going to let him heal, just so he could be tortured all over again. It wouldn't be the first time. Maybe the thing covering his mouth really was some kind of gag? Or it was being used to drug him? Bart heard a loud sigh nearby and his eyes shot open. He wasn't alone.

The first thing he saw was Jaime. Jaime was Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle was on mode. But... Blue Beetle saved Bart, didn't he? No, Wally saved Bart? Did anybody actually save Bart? Bart wasn't sure at all if any of that had been real.

Bart tried to move, and realized he was strapped down to the bed. That was all it took for Bart to make up his mind that Jaime was definitely on mode. Bart started hyperventilating when Jaime walked over to his side, and the beeping of the heart monitor sped up rapidly. A mixture of adrenaline and having proper nutrients in his system granted Bart a lot more energy than he'd had in days.

"It's okay, Bart, you're safe." Blue Beetle reached his arm out to Bart to do who knows what. Bart wasn't going to find out. Luckily, Blue Beetle hadn't thought to put a collar on Bart, so he vibrated out of his restraints. Without realizing what he was doing, he punched Jaime in the face with as much strength as he could muster. The world was spinning, and Bart's mind was moving faster than even his body was able to. He tore off the strange gag and ripped out whatever needles were sticking in his arms. Then he ran.

The next thing Bart knew, he was on the floor. He had tripped over a table and crashed into the wall on the other side of the room. Even without a collar on, his body wasn't working the way it was supposed to. Bart figured he must have been drugged so he couldn't escape. Blue Beetle was hunched over like he was in pain. Bart didn't think he hit him _that_ hard, did he? The blue suit started to encase some of Jaime's body, but it was faltering.

"Stop! He didn't mean it!" Jaime shouted at himself. The suit eventually retreated back into the scarab, and Jaime held his hands up to try to manipulate Bart into thinking he was harmless. It was a good act, but Bart wouldn't fall for it.

"You're okay, Bart. You're in the medical bay of the watchtower. Doctor Midnite was taking care of you. He said he had to restrain you because you were having seizures, and moving too much would make your injuries worse. You're free, though, Bart. You're free, okay? I'm going to walk over there now, is that okay? I want to help you back in the bed. I won't strap you down, I just don't want you to hurt yourself."

Everything hurt. Bart's entire body was throbbing, especially his legs. He could barely even get across the room, so there was no way he could get past Blue Beetle to get out of here. Bart had to admit, Blue Beetle was convincing. It just didn't add up, though. Who was Doctor Midnite? If Bart was really free, why was Blue Beetle the only one here? Where was Barry?

Jaime started slowly walking towards Bart, and the panic began to set in again.

"No! Don't touch me!" Still on the floor, Bart scooted himself away from Blue Beetle as fast as he could. When he had essentially backed himself into a corner, Bart tried to run again, but crashed into another wall when he attempted to vibrate through it. Then someone else ran into the room. Bart hadn't seen him before. Doctor Midnite, maybe?

The man rushed over to Bart, and whispered soothing things into his ear that Bart couldn't quite concentrate hard enough to understand. He felt something prick his arm, and looked down to see that he was being injected with something. Bart tried to run again, but before he was able to fully stand, he fell back into the stranger's arms, and fell asleep.

…

The next time Bart woke up, someone was crying and talking to him at his bedside. He didn't quite have the energy to open his eyes yet, but it was undeniably Barry's voice. Barry knew Bart had been unconscious, but the words poured from his lips anyway.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, kid. This is all my fault. I wasn't strong enough to stop Zoom before, I should have stopped him. I should have stopped him…" then all Bart could hear was Barry's hitched breathing, he was probably still crying.

Bart felt Barry's hand touch his own, and he jolted awake, flinching at the unexpected contact. Barry immediately pulled his hand away, but something in his face lit up a little at seeing Bart finally awake.

There were still a few needles sticking in his arms, but this time, Bart wasn't restrained, and instead of an oxygen mask, he was wearing a nasal cannula, which felt much less overwhelming. That alone kept Bart from panicking when he opened his eyes.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Sleeping beauty. How long had Bart been asleep? It did feel like ages…

Barry wore a soft smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. He had heavy bags underneath them, and they were bloodshot. The skin around them was the kind of puffy that only showed up after hours of crying.

Barry gave up pretending to be happy when Bart didn't answer. "Bart, do you know who I am?"

Bart nodded. Then after a long time, he finally looked at Barry. _Barry_. Bart's grandpa, Barry. The Flash.

"Is this..." he trailed off. Barry looked pretty real. But it still didn't feel real. Bart didn't know how to accept it as real, because he didn't know if he could handle finding out it wasn't. He told himself it was just a dream.

Barry must have caught onto what was going on in Bart's head somehow. "It's real, kid. It's all over now. You're safe."

Bart didn't answer. For some reason, he didn't feel happy or relieved or 'safe' or really much of anything.

"If you want to be alone, I can leave. I get it if you don't want me here, honestly. There's plenty of other people waiting to keep you company, if you'd prefer to be with someone else?" Barry's voice wavered slightly.

Bart sighed. He was sure the only person he actually wanted to talk to wouldn't be here. He wanted to talk to Wally. He wanted his father figure back more than anything. If Wally told Bart he was safe, he would believe it in a heartbeat. The Wally Bart remembered was different from the one here, Bart knew that, but he didn't care. He just wanted to see Wally.

"Wally?" Bart finally managed.

Something changed in Barry's face that Bart couldn't put his finger on. "Sorry, kid. He can't be here, at least, not right now."

"Is he still… mad at me?" Bart didn't know if he wanted to hear the answer. He didn't want to live in a world where Wally West wanted nothing to do with him.

Barry reached his hand out to Bart's again, and this time, Bart didn't flinch away.

"Wally loves you, Bart. I know he does. He helped me save you. Jaime, too. Wally's the one who came up with the plan that took down Zoom. I think Wally was more affected by what happened to you than anyone else. But after everything with the summit, he's just... focused on Artemis right now, you know? It's not every day the love of your life basically rises from the 'dead.'" Barry used finger quotes around the word dead, but Bart didn't notice.

Bart was too busy thinking about Wally. Wally really did save him.

 _Wally loves you._

The words repeated in Bart's mind. He didn't know what to say. He didn't realize it, but he _smiled_. However small, it was a real, heartfelt, warm smile. It had been too long since Bart let himself do that.

It didn't last long before Bart realized what the rest of Barry's words meant.

"Artemis…?" Bart shook his head, trying to make sense of what Barry had said. Artemis. Alive?

He remembered talk about a summit. It was basically the end game in stopping the Reach. Bart sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in his sides and chest. He shot up as if he was ready to run into battle.

"The summit!"

Barry chuckled, but still looked solemn for some reason.

"We won, Bart. The Reach is gone."

With that, Bart finally felt a little better. No Zoom. No Reach. The future might not be so bad, after all.

"Thanks, grandpa... For saving me. You shouldn't have. But... thank you."

"Just returning the favor, kid."

Bart squinted, confused. Barry just smiled and squeezed Bart's hand softly.

"You saved me first."

…

Bart and Barry just sat together in silence for a while. Barry held Bart's hand like a lifeline, almost more for himself than for Bart. Finally, Bart broke the silence.

"So who are the plenty of people so eager to keep me company?"

"You ready to get rid of me already?" Barry grasped his chest with his free hand to feign hurt, but he was smiling.

Bart only shrugged. "Just… curious."

Bart was convinced they all hated him before, so he couldn't fathom people lining up at the door to see him.

"Well, Beast Boy, Nightwing, Robin, Connor, and Cassie have all stopped by, M'gann and Jaime are outside now. Jaime hasn't left since you got here, but he said he wouldn't come in unless you were ready to see him. I don't know if you remember, but you kind of punched him in the face the last time you woke up." Barry chuckled.

A twinge of guilt tugged at Bart's gut. He remembered.

He honestly didn't really want to see either M'gann or Jaime, but he figured he'd have to face them eventually.

"Okay. I think I'm ready."

.

.

.

.

.

Calmate- calm down

* * *

 **For some reason, this chapter was by far the hardest for me to write, so please review and let me know what you thought and if you have any questions! Who do you want to see Bart have a confrontation with?**

 **Special thanks to Ardoa88, kitzycat, Zatannagurl, Me123, I-am-my-own-queen, and all the guest accounts for the lovely reviews! You seriously have no idea how much I love them 3**

 **and EXTRA SPECIAL thanks to Rainfall04 not only for the consistent review gold but for helping me hash out some of the ideas for the rest of this story!**


	17. Confrontations

**An: Warning- this chapter deals with ptsd and has some strong language**

* * *

A few moments after Barry left the room, the door slowly opened again. Jaime sheepishly poked his head inside.

"Is it okay if I come in here?"

Bart didn't look at Jaime, but nodded anyways. Jaime slowly walked in and sat in the chair besides Bart's bed. Neither of them said anything for a while, and Bart still hadn't looked up.

After what felt like ages of silence, Jaime finally spoke up.

"Doctor Midnite said you're healing faster than we expected. He said you should be able to leave here in a few days… that you'll be totally healed within a week…"

Bart didn't answer. He didn't know what he was supposed to say, or how he was supposed to feel about that. He didn't feel anything.

Jaime just buried his face in his hands. A few minutes probably passed before he said anything else.

"I'm so fucking sorry."

"..."

"You don't have to forgive me. I wouldn't. I haven't."

Bart still didn't say anything, but there were tears in his eyes now. He clutched onto the blanket underneath him and finally looked at Jaime. He noticed just then that Jaime had a bruise under his eye where Bart had punched him.

"I'm… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I just… I don't know what I was expecting. I'm sorry. I should go… I'm really sorry." Jaime started to get up.

"Stop doing that." Bart finally said softly before Jaime fully stood up.

"Doing what?"

"Apologizing… It wasn't you. Don't you think I _know_ none of it was you? I get it, okay? It… it wasn't real."

Bart didn't blame Jaime, but it was still hard to be around him. He hated that Zoom used Jaime to trick him. He could have kidnapped Bart without using Jaime. It was just another way for Zoom to try to break him, to let him have something good (and fake) before tearing it all away.

Jaime's face softened. "Bart… I know this probably changes nothing. But it _was_ real. I didn't know I was on mode until after you fell asleep. I hate myself for not figuring it out sooner, but everything that happened up until that point was _me_. I know that probably makes it worse. But it was me, Bart. I didn't know… I'm so sorry…"

"... you..?" was all Bart could say. The thought didn't offer too much comfort, but Bart felt a little less terrible with the idea that he didn't have his first kiss with the Reach ambassador pulling the strings.

"I lost control when you fell asleep. Up until then it was me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"If I forgive you for something that you didn't do will you please stop talking about it?" The words came out colder than Bart had intended for them to, but he couldn't quite bring himself to feel guilty about it.

"You don't have to forgive me. If you want me to stop talking about it I will."

"Okay." Bart closed his eyes.

A few more long moments of silence passed, and Jaime thought Bart might fall asleep soon.

"Do you want me to leave?" Jaime asked as gently as he could.

Bart thought about it for a moment. He really didn't want to be left alone.

"I don't know. No?" Bart was still closing his eyes, and he spoke without much conviction, but Jaime would take it. Bart spoke again a moment later.

"I'm sorry too… for, uh, for punching you."

"I would have punched me too."

Bart actually laughed quietly. His eyes were open now, and looked at Jaime. Jaime stared back at Bart with a weak smile, but he was unable to shake the sadness from his eyes.

"I thought we lost you, Bart. I'm glad you're… here. I really missed you."

' _I missed you too.'_ Bart wanted to say. It would have been true. He wanted to pretend like none of it ever happened, but when he looked at Jaime, he couldn't help but see those cold emotionless eyes that stared back at him with one hand over his mouth and the other plunging a syringe into his neck.

Bart wanted so badly to look at Jaime and see his best friend. He wanted to see someone he could trust, who he knew was kind, someone who he still adored. But he couldn't see Jaime like that right now. Right now, Jaime's face was just too painful to look at. Those soft brown eyes used to represent safety, but now Bart knew that 'safety' didn't exist. It was just a false sense of security that ultimately brought his guard down and made him an easier target.

When Bart didn't answer, he saw himself reflected in Jaime's now tear coated eyes, hoping for Bart to say something. Bart couldn't look at Jaime anymore, so he shifted his gaze to the wall ahead of him.

"I don't know if I can do this yet… I know you weren't in control when you…" Bart cleared his throat to prevent his voice from cracking. "When you did what you did… but it looked like you, Jaime, and it sounded like you… And I don't know how to deal with that right now. I forgive you, okay? I know it wasn't your fault, but I just… I think I do want you to leave. I'm sorry."

A single tear fell down Bart's cheek as he pressed his eyes closed again. He didn't want to have to see the look on Jaime's face. After a bit of a pause, he heard Jaime get up from his chair and walk out of the room without a word.

...

After a while, the door opened again, and Bart was pleasantly surprised to see Gar, Connor, and Robin walk in, all in their civvies, although Robin wore sunglasses to cover his eyes. Gar sat on the bed next to Bart, Connor sat in the chair, and Robin sat at the foot of the bed with his legs crossed.

"You ever played go fish?" Robin pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket and smirked. Bart was glad they weren't going to try to talk about what happened. He just wanted to forget about it. He managed a soft smile and shook his head.

Beast Boy perked up and described to Bart in detail how to play the game while Robin shuffled the deck and handed out cards to each of them. As they played, they took turns catching Bart up on the latest team gossip he'd missed.

…

"...So then Nightwing called Batman out in front of the entire team! It was epic." Beast Boy had told the story almost faster than Bart would have. "Connor, got any fours?"

"Go fish. Hm, what else have you missed... Robin and Cassie are dating now. Bart, any kings?"

"What! Since when? How's that going? Go fish. Robin, any eights?"

"Just since the other day. It's going good, I guess." Tim was turning red at the mention of his new relationship. He handed Bart a card. "Gar, give me those fours." Beast Boy pouted and threw three fours at Robin.

"Give me a second, I need to think." Beast Boy focused hard on his cards, trying to remember who had asked for the kings.

"Any day now, BB." Bart started to get antsy after a few seconds of silence.

"Hold on, I'm thinking. You're not a very patient guy. Patience is a virtue, you know."

Bart didn't answer.

"Bart?"

* * *

" _You know I'm not a patient man. Answer me."_

 _Bart was shivering now, he took a deep breath, knowing he'd need the oxygen. "Go to hell, Thawne."_

 _As expected, he was shoved back into the water. His lungs were too exhausted by now to hold his breath for long, and Bart involuntarily inhaled a mouthful of water in a last ditch effort to fill his lungs with_ something _. His body convulsed as he coughed, desperately trying to expel the water from his lungs, but it only caused him to let more water invade them._

* * *

"Bart! Calm down, it's okay!"

Bart was trembling violently and gasping for air.

"I… can't... breath!" Bart choked out. He could almost feel Zoom's phantom grip at the back of his neck, holding him under the freezing water. Robin and Beast Boy jumped off the bed to give Bart some personal space. Beast Boy changed into a bird and flew out of the room to get Doctor Midnite.

Robin pulled out a rebreather from some hidden compartment in his shoe and held it to Bart's mouth.

The feeling of something covering his mouth just made it worse. The fear of being gagged again cancelled out whatever comfort extra air would have helped with, and Bart slapped the rebreather away.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. It's to help you breath." Robin said, trying to calm Bart.

Bart was clutching onto the sides of the bed, trying to stay grounded. He still couldn't breath, but he told himself it was Robin and Connor, and they weren't going to hurt him. Somehow that thought didn't help, and he kept shaking and hyperventilating. Doctor Midnite was at Bart's bedside, now.

"This is an oxygen mask. It will help you catch your breath, okay?" Bart nodded quickly, there were tears in his eyes, and he was about to phase through the bed because he couldn't stop shaking.

Once the oxygen mask covered Bart's mouth and nose, he fell asleep within seconds.

…

When Bart woke up, M'gann was sitting next to the bed, reading a book out loud. Bart didn't know the book, but he listened along for a while, anyways. Eventually, her eyes drifted from the book and she noticed that Bart was awake.

"Oh! I'm glad you're up. How are you feeling?"

Bart didn't know how to answer that. Even with his healing factor, his body was still in a lot of pain. He didn't even know how long he was missing for, but the torture he went through seemed endless. The Reach used his best friend to betray his trust and capture him. He found out Zoom had been calling the shots for his entire life. He'd just had a panic attack over nothing in front of three of his friends. Wally still hadn't come to see him. He felt numb, and tired, and lost, and _angry_ … so, so angry.

But he didn't want to say any of that out loud.

"Um, sore. I guess."

"Right. Of course. But I mean, how are you _feeling?_ "

Bart looked straight at M'gann, the very person who had put him through another kind of torture. It felt like ages ago, but Bart hadn't forgotten. How could you forget someone invading your most personal memories? She'd made him relive every traumatic moment of his life that she deemed important enough to put on display. Bart almost glared right through her for what felt an eternity to both of them.

"Mad." was all he finally said.

M'gann slumped a little in her chair. She knew at least some of that anger was directed towards her. "That's understandable. I'm sorry…"

Bart sighed. He was sick of hearing apologies. It seemed like 'I'm sorry' was all everyone wanted to say to him.

M'gann was trembling now, and she looked like she might cry soon. "I should have _done_ something. I should have looked for you sooner. I should have been able to save you when Superboy and I-"

"That's _not_ what I'm mad about… At least, it's not what I'm mad at _you_ about. You did what you had to do. I was just… collateral damage. I get that."

"What are you mad at me about, then?" M'gann looked genuinely confused. How could she not know?

"Are you serious? What you did…" Bart's voice was shaking with an anger for M'gann that he forgot was there. How could she not realize how terrible what she did was?

"...You've never had to go through a psychic attack, have you?"

With that, realization finally struck her. M'gann remembered when Psimon attacked her psychically. She remembered how painful it had been when he found out she was a white Martian. She had to relive all of the pain from her entire life of being ostracized and oppressed for who she was. Psimon found out all of her weaknesses, all of her secrets, and threatened to reveal them to everyone she cared about.

What she did to Bart was worse. She actually did reveal Bart's secrets, and his were much more painful to relive. She hated Psimon so much for what he did, and she was so terrified of her secret getting revealed, that she put him into a coma. She couldn't imagine what Bart must be feeling towards her. The guilt of that was overwhelming.

"I… I have. I didn't even think… Bart I'm so sorry. We should have trusted you. I shouldn't have ever agreed to do that to you. When Batman asked me, I didn't even question it. I didn't even… You must hate me. You didn't deserve that... You didn't deserve any of it."

Hating M'gann would make sense, but Bart didn't have the energy for it. He just wanted to forget about it. Forgetting… that was a nice thought.

"Can you… Can you make it go away?"

M'gann stared at Bart. She knew exactly what he was asking. "I can't do that to you. I don't want to mess with your head again."

"Please, I just want to forget... You can do that, right? You can make me forget?"

"Bart, you'll get through this. It's going to be okay. You can do this without me, I know you can. You've been through worse, I've seen it. "

"No! I haven't! You think you know me because you stole my memories? You don't! This was _different!_ This was different..." Bart was vibrating again, and the movement hurt, but he couldn't stop. Still, he let his voice soften, if only because he wanted M'gann to help him.

"Yes, I've been tortured before, but not like this. Before, I didn't know anything different. But this time he let me think it was all over. He let me come here, thinking I was some kind of hero. He let me feel _safe_ this time before he took it all away. Every decision I thought I made was really just Zoom pulling the strings. Even after everything I went through before, I never wanted to die. I just… please, I don't know how to live like this. Please, you can make me remember a good childhood, right? You can make me remember growing up _here_. And you can make me forget Zoom, and the Reach, and… and Wally… please, you owe me, M'gann."

Bart didn't try to stop the tears from rolling down his face as he begged shamelessly for M'gann's help. She didn't know what to do.

"I can't do that to you."

"You can't, or you won't?" Bart's words were more harsh now, but his eyes were still soft and pleading.

"I… I don't know. I'll think about it." M'gann got up to leave. She would have to talk to Barry. She didn't trust herself to make a decision like this on her own.

"Thank you. Seriously, thank you." Bart sighed in relief, hoping that he'd be able to find some kind of peace soon. After that, Bart drifted into a sort of restless half sleep.

He was only vaguely aware that there were others visiting him throughout the day. Most of them probably just sat there while Bart slept. Bart was spent, and even when he was awake, he didn't always have the energy to converse with everyone who saw him. Every time the door opened, Bart hoped to see Wally walk in, but that didn't happen. Wally was still focused on Artemis, probably. Or maybe he really just didn't want to see Bart. The next day or so passed uneventfully, until Bart finally got an unexpected visitor.

* * *

 **AN:** **Reviews help me write faster, and they make me really happy!**

 **I know some people have asked for more bluepulse, so I'm sorry about how this chapter turned out. I just felt like with all the trauma Bart has been through, he wouldn't be so quick to want to work things out with Jaime right away. It would take time. If you want more bluepulse, I do have another story I recently posted that is exclusively a fluffy bluepulse story, so feel free to check that one out :)**

 **Thanks so much to i-am-my-own-queen, kitzykat, Ardoa88, Rainfall04, and the guest accounts for the lovely reviews! And of course an extra extra special thanks again to Rainfall04 for helping me flesh out some more ideas for the rest of this story!**


	18. Unanswered

**AN: sorry for the wait. I was dealing with a lot of health issues and wasn't in a great place for writing.** **Also, sorry if my writing sucks, I was a bit hopped up on pain meds when I wrote some of it, so there may be some errors. If you point them out I'll fix them.**

* * *

Barry got home from work, feeling more exhausted than he had in a long time. He didn't even bother hanging up his coat, he just let it fall to the floor. He told himself he would hang it up before Iris got home. Finally, Barry let himself collapse onto the couch, and as soon as he did, there was a knock at the door.

He wanted to just ignore it, but he eventually decided to get up and answer the door. When he opened it, he saw M'gann in her human form standing in front of him.

"M'gann? How did you… What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to intrude. I got your address from uncle J'onn. I need to talk to you. It's about Bart. Can I come in?"

Barry opened the door wider. "Of course."

They both sat on the couch, and Barry anxiously tapped his foot.

"Is everything okay?"

"Well, he asked me to do something… and I'm not sure if I can do it. I wanted to see what you thought about it."

Barry just silently stared at M'gann, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, we both know Bart has been through alot, and not just recently. I've been thinking about it, and even though the future's changed, he still had to live through that. And, ultimately, he has to bare that burden completely alone. When he got kidnapped by Zoom… I don't know everything Zoom did to him, but I think it might have finally been too much for him to handle… He asked me to erase his memories. He wants me to give him memories of a normal childhood, and he wants me to take away all of his memories of the Reach, Zoom, and… he wants me to erase Wally, too."

Barry rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed deeply, trying to find the words. There was a long pause before M'gann finally spoke again.

"I don't know what to do. What would you do?"

"I… I don't know, M'gann. I get why he would want that, I do. Hell, I would do anything to make that kid happy. No kid should have to deal with what he's going through, but… I don't know. That's a big choice to make. I don't think he's in a clear enough head space right now to make that kind of decision. Give him some time. I'll talk to him about it later."

"So, what you're saying is… not yet?"

"Not yet."

…

 _The next day or so passed uneventfully, until Bart finally got an unexpected visitor._

Still half asleep, Bart heard someone walk in and sit down next to the bed. He could have sworn he heard the sound of… a baby?

Yup. That was undeniably the sound of a baby laughing. Bart shifted in the bed. He was waking up now, but he still didn't open his eyes, at least, not until he heard a semi-familiar voice following the tiny giggle.

"Sorry about her. Got stuck babysitting."

"...Artemis?"

"The one and only." Artemis grinned, but Bart could tell it was forced. He was a bit of an expert on forced smiles.

Artemis looked like she hadn't slept in days. She had dark circles under her eyes, and they were pretty puffy. She looked paler than Bart remembered, too.

"You look terrible."

Artemis scoffed and flicked Bart on his ear.

"Rude! You're lucky I can't punch you right now." She didn't bother mentioning that Bart looked pretty terrible, too.

"Sorry. Pain meds. No filter." Bart shrugged and gave Artemis a not-totally-forced smirk of his own. He'd only met her once before she 'died', but they got along, and he actually liked having her here, even if he didn't really understand why she came.

"Oh, pain meds, huh? So what you're saying is, I _can_ punch you?" Artemis clenched a fist as if she would actually do it, although she wasn't very intimidating while cradling a baby in her arms. Bart turned his attention to the baby, completely ignoring the empty threat.

"Cute baby."

Artemis smiled, and this time it wasn't at all forced. She held the baby's tiny hand in her fingers and moved the baby's arm back and forth so she looked like she was waving at Bart.

"Right? Say hi, Lian!"

Bart quickly sat up in the bed. Luckily, he'd healed enough that it didn't hurt as much as he expected. Or maybe that was just the pain medicine.

"Wait… Did you say Lian?"

Artemis nodded.

"As in, Lian Nguyen-Harper?"

"Uh, yeah. How did you- nevermind. Future, got it, don't want to know."

Finally, someone who understood that not everything from the future was public knowledge.

Bart couldn't help but stare at Lian. _The_ Lian. Lian stared right back at Bart and giggled.

"I think she likes you. She doesn't usually giggle like that unless someone's getting punched." Artemis laughed. "Do you want to hold her?"

Lian was already reaching her arms towards Bart.

"Can I? Is... is that okay? I've never-"

Bart stopped talking when Lian was placed on his lap, gently enough so as not to hurt him. He just continued gawking at her like he'd never seen a baby before, which, to be fair, he hadn't.

"It's okay. She won't bite. Well, I mean, she might. But it won't hurt that bad." Artemis joked.

At that, he scooped Lian up in his arms and smiled, this time it was 100% non-forced. Bart couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just stared at Lian in awe while she yawned and snuggled into him. Bart hadn't actually gotten to meet her in person until now. He couldn't believe it. _The_ Lian Nguyen-Harper. The person who had single handedly helped dozens of people escape captivity from the Reach. The person who built almost all of the time machine that brought Bart here in the first place. She was a genius, and a legend, and a hero to so many people, but right now, she was just a baby. A really, really cute baby that, apparently, really liked Bart.

Then, an overwhelming sense of guilt washed over him, as he remembered that he was basically the reason she died. This trusting baby who seemed to feel so comfortable being cradled in his arms had no idea that he would be the reason for her eventual death…

But then... Bart realized that Zoom was gone. And the Reach had been defeated. That meant Lian would live, right?

Bart couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time he'd laughed in who knows how long. Nothing was funny, but his diaphragm contracted anyways, and he let out a happy, _real_ , laugh. His sides hurt, but Lian didn't wake up, and it was worth it. She was going to be okay. She was going to _live_.

Bart looked down at her again, she was already asleep, and Bart let out a deep exhale that he didn't realize he'd been holding. Still cradling Lian gently, he leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and drifted away with her.

...

*sharkboy voice* _dream dream dream dream dream dream_

 _..._

Bart and Wally were out scavenging for food and supplies. For some reason, Wally was young, he looked the same as when Bart met him in the past. Also, Bart was still holding baby Lian, because dream logic.

"Hey, kid, look what I found!" Wally bent over and picked up a half-melted crayon from the ground.

Bart jumped for joy. "Crash! We can break that in half so we both get one, and we can paint the entire house!"

Wally laughed, "Exactly what I was thinking."

The next moment, they were all back at the house, and Bart and Wally doodled on all of the walls. Bart stepped back to admire his work. In his dreams, Bart might as well have been Michelangelo with a crayon.

"What do you think, Wally?"

No answer.

"Wally?" Bart turned around, thinking Wally might just be at a loss for words, staring at Bart's artwork in wonder.

But that was not the case. Bart turned around to see his greatest fear. Wally, face down on the floor, lying in a pool of blood.

Bart watched in horror as Wally struggled to sit himself up, he stared at Bart, knowing he was dying. He looked angry.

"You killed me!"

"No! It wasn't me, Wally, I swear!"

"They came here looking for you, it's _your_ fault! You _killed_ me!" Wally shouted angrily before falling onto all fours and coughing up blood.

Bart ran over to Wally to try to save him, but he realized his body felt heavy, and he could only move excruciatingly slowly. Reach soldiers stormed in from the halls and pried a now crying Lian from Bart's arms. Bart couldn't move fast enough to stop them from taking her.

Then Zoom showed up.

"I told you you could never escape me, Bart." He said, exposing his teeth in a bone-chilling grin.

Then he motioned towards the soldiers, and several guns pointed towards a not-yet-dead Wally, and a screaming baby Lian.

"Kill them."

BLAM! BLAM!

…

"NO!" Bart shot up in his bed, panting and sweating. It took him a moment to realize he was back in the medical facilities of the watchtower. Artemis was still sitting in the chair near the bed, and she was holding Lian now. She looked like she had fallen asleep, too, but she was startled awake by Bart's yelling.

"Hey, it's okay, it was just a dream." She said in a soft voice, then yawned. She began bouncing Lian in one arm and reached her free hand out towards Bart's.

"S-sorry." Bart said as he caught his breath. Artemis's touch was surprisingly comforting, and it helped to ground him.

"You okay?" Artemis looked concerned for the first time since she'd shown up. Great.

The dream had already faded from Bart's memory, and all he could remember was how it _felt_. It was a terrible feeling that he didn't even know where to begin how to describe, but he'd lost the specifics, which he figured was good. Bart nodded.

The fog from the medication had all but worn off by now, and even though he was in a bit more pain, his head was clear. Finally, all the questions he would have asked, had he been thinking straight, came flooding to his mind.

 _Did they really let a baby in the watchtower?_

Artemis grinned again. "I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be." Bart realized he had actually asked that out loud.

He believed it. Artemis could be pretty scary, he felt bad for anyone who might say no to her when she really wanted something. But that begged several other questions. Why would she want to be here badly enough that she would bring Lian? Why would she even come to see Bart at all? Wasn't Artemis supposed to be Wally's excuse for not coming to see him? If she was here, then where was Wally?

Bart sat up again, despite the pain.

"Um… not that I have a problem with it or anything, but… why are you here?"

Artemis looked surprised and a little hurt, but maybe not for the reason Bart thought.

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

Bart wasn't convinced. Not at all.

"Where's Wally?" Bart's voice was firm now, it almost didn't sound like him.

Artemis just looked down and bit her lip like she was trying to suppress something. "Maybe I shouldn't have come. I should go." She started to stand up.

"No." Bart could feel anger involuntarily welling up his throat. "You can't all just keep hiding things from me! If he doesn't want to see me just say it! I'm not so fragile that I can't handle the truth..."

Bart didn't really want to find out that Wally still hated him, but if it was true, he would rather know than be kept in the dark about it.

Artemis sat back down. "That's not it, Bart-"

"Then what is it? I'm sick of everyone lying to me! Just tell me!"

Bart's yelling must have scared Lian, because she was crying now, but Bart was too pissed to feel bad. Why was everyone lying to him? After everything, how could they _still_ not trust him? Bart was livid. With M'gann, with Barry, even with Nightwing and Batman. He somehow couldn't quite bring himself to be mad at Wally, though. Something in him felt like he deserved Wally's hatred, but the rest of them, he could be mad at.

They were all such hypocrites! When Bart hid something from them, they forced him to show _everyone_ what he had never even wanted to see again for himself. And then Barry went and lied to his face about Wally? He had no right, after insisting Bart could have no secrets. Barry was the one who initially tricked Bart into meeting with those jerks to steal his memories in the first place! How could Bart have forgotten about that?

Barry was the one who lied to Bart the most, out of everyone, but Bart was supposedly the one who couldn't be trusted. He was fuming. All he could think about was how angry he was at Barry. He wanted answers.

Artemis stood back up and held on to Lian protectively, like she thought Bart might actually hurt her. In her defense, Bart looked pretty terrifying in that moment. His fists were clenched so hard that she swore she could see the bones of his knuckles through his skin. He looked like a rabid animal that would snap if you made a wrong move.

"Bart, just calm down." Wrong move.

Bart jumped up and ripped out his IV, and Artemis hopped back, ready to bolt with Lian if she had to. Before she could leave the room, though, Bart was gone.

* * *

 **AN: Ask all your questions! if you really want the answers I'll give them to you. There's going to be a happy ending I swear.**

 **Sorry if this chapter was weird, I wrote this on pain meds and just kind of went with it. I'm pretty much on bedrest right now, so the next chapter should come out pretty soon because I'll die of boredom if I don't write or something. Health-wise, I'm doing okay now, but can really use some happy energy, so maybe review this chapter to make me feel better? :)**


	19. Where's Wally?

**AN: T** **his chapter might make you sad but please don't give up on the story! I promise you won't regret it if you keep reading. Well, I hope you won't, unless you hated my writing, in which case you probably wouldn't still be here. Anywho, on with the story.**

* * *

" _So, what you're saying is… not yet?"_

" _Not yet."_

M'gann and Barry sat silently for a few moments, both deep in thought. Barry felt so helpless when it came to Bart. He wished there was something he could do to help that didn't involve essentially completely changing who the kid was. He really cared for Bart, and all he wanted was to help.

M'gann sensed Barry's stress and gently laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Barry couldn't bring himself to smile at her. Still, she seemed genuine, and Barry needed to get what he was thinking off his chest.

"I hate that I can't just help him, you know? I'm not used to not being able to help people. And this is my _family_. If I can't help my own grandson, then what kind of hero does that make me? And you know what, maybe erasing his memories would make him happier, it would make this whole thing a hell of a lot easier, but is that really what's best?" Barry rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"I don't know. I think you're right about waiting. He should make that decision when he's had more time to heal. I'm not sure how else to help him, though."

M'gann sighed before continuing. "You know, no matter how powerful we are, there's always some things we can't control. I used to hate that. That's part of why I… well, it's why I abused my powers. My fear of not being useful, of not always being able to help, it messed with my head. Ironically, in my attempt to control everything around me, I lost control of myself. We can't always fix things, and we can't always help everyone." M'gann paused, and her somber expression faded into a soft smile. "Want to know what helped me finally come to terms with that?"

Barry gave M'gann a half-smile. "What?"

"It might sound silly. Black Canary helped me figure it out. I had to learn that I couldn't control everything, but when I feel like I want to be in control of something, I bake. I found something I can create, and it makes people happy. I know it doesn't actually solve my problems, and I might not make the best cookies in the world, but they're mine, and I feel better when I make them. I'm not saying you need to bake cookies, but maybe there's something for you that's sort of like what baking is for me? After everything that's happened recently, I think you deserve to indulge in a meaningless hobby."

That got a soft chuckle from Barry. "Thanks, M'gann. I'll think about that."

"I'll leave you to it, then." M'gann smiled and got up from the couch, then left Barry alone to figure things out.

…one hour later...

Iris came home from work to an overwhelming aroma of sweet dough. She found Barry in the kitchen, baking a ridiculous amount of cookies.

"What's with all the cookies? Are you okay?" Iris laughed.

"You came home late." Barry shrugged. Somehow, cookies seemed easier than all the other things he could be worrying about.

"Well, you aren't going to eat all those yourself, are you?" Iris approached her husband, then playfully wiped a bit of cookie dough from his cheek and ate it.

"You can have as many as you want." He said with a smirk.

"Good. Between your metabolism, and me eating for _three_ now, this might not even be enough!" Iris was only joking, but Barry continued baking anyways. The thought of having twins gave him a burst of positive energy that he almost felt guilty for feeling. How could he be happy right now with everything that's happened...

Barry shook the guilt away, he was about to put another batch of cookies in the oven when something slammed into him, sending the tray flying.

"You liar!"

"Bart? What are you _doing?_ "

Iris knew better by now than to get in the middle of a fight among metahumans, especially while she was pregnant with twins. She jumped out of the way before she could be caught in the crossfire.

Bart ignored the question and threw himself at Barry again. Barry easily avoided the second attack, and Bart yelled out in frustration.

"You lied! Why won't Wally see me? Just tell me!"

Barry stuttered as he tried to calm Bart. "I-I told you… Ar-Artemis… he was just-"

"Stop! Stop _lying_ to me!" Bart's fists went flying in an attempt to strike a stunned Barry.

Barry was so shocked at the uncharacteristic aggression that he lost his words. All he could do was try his best to avoid the attacks without hurting the enraged speedster.

Bart was still recovering from his injuries, so he wasn't nearly as fast or as strong as he could have been, but his anger fueled him, and he was still hard to avoid, even for the Flash. They both knew Bart wouldn't be able to beat Barry in a fight, especially not right now, but Bart didn't care. He didn't really know why he was doing what he was doing, but he knew he was mad, and that he was tired of feeling helpless and weak. He just knew he needed to _hit_ something.

Bart had suppressed it all for too long. A piercing hatred for Zoom and for the Reach had been burning it's way to the surface for years. He spent his entire life in fear and grief and helplessness, and it was finally becoming too much to contain.

Bart had a whole lifetime's worth of anger and frustration that he'd never been free to express, but he was free now. He was allowed to be angry now, and he finally had a scapegoat: Barry. As soon as Bart threw that first punch, it was like a damn broke, and it all poured out of him in an unstoppable flood of rage.

Barry let Bart get some of his anger out, but dodged his attacks as best as he could while being careful not to strike back. Finally, Bart managed to punch Barry in the face, and the punch actually carried enough force that it knocked him against the wall. That was when Barry had had enough.

When Bart tried to strike him again, Barry grabbed him by the wrists and pinned his hands to the wall so the two of them were facing each other.

"Calm. Down. Are you done?" Barry was trying to keep his cool, but he was losing his patience. He could handle Bart, but the kid could have accidentally hurt Iris, and that wasn't something Barry could easily deal with.

After everything Bart had just been through, Barry really didn't want to restrict his movement like this, but he felt like he didn't have a choice. He needed to protect Iris, and Bart needed to calm down before they could get anywhere.

As soon as he was pinned against the wall, Bart froze. It was like night and day. He looked up at Barry with wide eyes and dilated pupils. His hands started trembling, and he looked terrified. It only lasted for a moment, though, because Bart quickly gulped back the fear apparent in his face, even if he couldn't stop trembling quite as easily.

However hard Bart tried to appear tough, Barry could tell he was still afraid. Barry knew he should be angry at Bart for attacking him, but all he wanted to do was give him a hug. He knew he couldn't do that right now, though.

"...I'm done." Anger was still prominent in Bart's voice, but he sounded defeated, and he still looked scared. Maybe that anger wasn't directed at Barry anymore. Barry let go of Bart's wrists and took a step back. Bart fell to his hands and knees on the floor at the loss of contact, still trembling.

Barry fought the urge to just run up and cradle the young boy in his arms, because he knew Bart wouldn't appreciate being smothered. He was clearly still afraid of being hurt, but, dammit, the kid must have really needed a hug.

No kid should have feel fear like that. Barry wanted to call M'gann right then and there and have her make it all go away, so Bart could just _be a kid_. Maybe erasing his memories wasn't such a bad idea after all...

"Hey, you're safe, Bart. No one is going to hurt you. You're safe. You're so safe." Word hug. That was the best Barry could do for him right now.

Bart released a quivering gulp of air, and finally started breathing again. He was still shaking, and his breath was rather heavy, it hitched as if he was crying, but there were no tears. He looked like he might run away any second.

Barry knelt down in front of Bart, and cautiously put a hand on his shoulder. Instead of flinching away, Bart grabbed onto Barry's arms as tightly as he could, collapsed in towards his chest, and screamed.

It was like Bart was using Barry's chest as a pillow to muffle the sound. Bart screamed out as harshly as he could until his throat was raw. When he finally ran out of air, he loosened his grip on Barry's arms and dropped his hands to the floor. Then he let his body go completely limp as he collapsed into Barry. At that, Barry couldn't help it, he wrapped his arms around Bart and held him. He rocked his grandson back and forth, and allowed a thin stream of tears to flow down his cheeks. Maybe Bart wasn't the only one who really needed a real hug.

After a few long moments of holding each other, Bart finally spoke.

"I just… I just want to see Wally. Please don't lie to me, grandpa… Why won't he see me?"

At that, Barry choked back what could only be described as a whimper, and the stream of tears grew heavier. Speechless, he eventually looked at Iris for what to do. She was also crying, and she approached both of them and knelt on the floor beside them.

"Tell him, Barr. He needs to know."

Bart pulled away from the embrace and looked at Barry, preparing himself for the worst.

"I'm so sorry, Bart. Wally's... gone."

"...wh-what?"

Whatever Bart was expecting, it wasn't that. Both Barry and Iris were crying, but for some reason, Bart still couldn't produce the tears.

"You said.. You said he saved me? He… he..." Bart stood up quickly and stumbled back.

"He did… This happened afterwards. He died a hero, saving the world from the Reach. We were going to tell you, Bart... but, we didn't want to put any more stress on you until we knew you were okay."

"He… he's... gone?"

Bart backed away until he hit the wall, then he sunk down to the floor again. Barry slowly approached Bart and extended a hand out to him, but Bart jerked away. Barry looked to Iris again for help, he was at a loss.

"Bart, wait!" Iris called out, and when Barry turned back around, Bart had already run away.

Barry was about to run after him when the lights started flickering and the power went out. Then a blinding bright light filled the entire room. Barry ran Iris to the other side of the room, and stood near her protectively, ready for whatever was about to happen.

The atmosphere of the room changed, and it felt like they were in the middle of a blizzard. Iris and Barry had to hold on to each other to keep from falling over in the strong wind. Finally, the breeze died down, and the light dimmed until they could make out what looked like a portal in the middle of the kitchen. A figure was seemingly thrust through the portal, and landed on the floor. They could only make out a shadow of the person without the lights on. Then the portal closed, and the lights flickered back on, revealing the identity of the surprise guest.

"Oh, my god! Wally?"

* * *

 **AN: WALLY'S BACK! I was going to wait until the next chapter to bring him back, but I didn't want anyone to be too sad and stop reading. Next chapter you'll find out what happened to Wally!**

 **Please let me know if you have anything you want to see happen before this comes to an end. I'm not going to say it's almost done, because I did that at chapter 10 and look where we are now lol. but I THINK it MIGHT be coming to a close soonISH. So, that being said, if there's anything you want to see happen before this story ends, please make it known. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and what you liked/didn't like about this chapter :) Plus, reviews make me write faster.**

 **Kate: it really depends on how much longer I make this fic. I haven't written that far yet, so I'm not sure how much bluepulse there will be. There may be hope for some bluepulse near the end, but I don't know if I want to focus too much on it. Just hints of it here and there. Feel free to read my other fic if you want some good ol bluepulse fluff though**


	20. Wally's Memories

**AN:** **Thank you so much to everyone who sent well wishes for my health. I appreciate it so much. Unfortunately I'm still going through it.**

 **As for the story- since Bart was basically incapacitated at the time that the Reach's MFDs were set to destroy the earth, I picture Jay helping Barry and Wally instead of Bart. You can use your imagination with that, I won't focus on it too much, though.**

 **I got my inspiration for the speed force mostly from the Flash tv show.**

 **As an apology for the longer wait, I give you the longest chapter I've written so far!**

* * *

 **Arctic**

 **June 20**

Wally knew he wasn't as fast as Barry, or even Jay, but he also knew they needed his help. There was still one MFD left that needed to be destroyed, and it had already gone chrysalis. Wally ran to the arctic to help them siphon the chrysalis's power and hopefully save the world from being destroyed. He ran with Jay and Barry as fast as he could, trying his hardest to keep up with them. He may have been running faster than he had ever run before, but he still wasn't fast enough.

Eventually the bursts of chrysalis energy that kept hitting Wally stopped hurting. He looked down at his hands, and he could see himself fading away. With every step, he felt the anchor connecting him to this world grow weaker, but for some reason, he didn't stop running. He had to finish what he came here to do, and if it meant the world was saved, it was worth it.

"Kid?" Barry slowed down so he was running side by side with his nephew.

"Just... tell them. Okay?"

"Kid!" Barry reached out to grab Wally, but his arm went right through him.

Everything changed around him, and Wally felt like he was running through a black hole. Maybe if he kept running, he could find his way back? He felt like if he stopped, he'd really be gone.

So, Wally ran. And ran.

And ran.

Time didn't feel real anymore, and neither did he. Wally didn't get tired, or hungry. He felt like he could keep running forever. And he might have, too, if he didn't hear a familiar voice calling out to him.

"KF! Time to slow down, dude." Then the figure of his best friend appeared next to Wally as he ran. Dick didn't move, but still somehow kept up with him. It was as if Wally had been running in place this whole time. Dick was wearing his Nightwing costume, but with no mask. Wally skidded to a stop. They both just stood there in the empty space.

"Dick? How are you here? Where are we?"

Nightwing smiled an _almost_ familiar smile, but didn't answer. Something felt off. With a wave of Dick's hand, their surroundings changed. They were standing on a rooftop.

"Do you remember this place?" Dick finally asked, resting a hand on Wally's shoulder.

"How could I not? This is where you first told me your secret ID. Dick." Wally smirked, then sighed. It all felt so familiar, but somehow foreign. "Why are we here? Am I dead?"

There was a pause before Dick answered, and Wally used it to take in his surroundings. He could smell french fries from the diner below them, and he could hear the honking of cars in the distance. It was actually a pretty nice day, for Gotham. There were only a few clouds in the sky and there was a nice breeze that wasn't too cold. Wally wondered if his subconscious had actually remembered all these details, or if it was all just a fabrication.

"We can change the scenery, if you want." Dick said it so casually, like it was no big deal. "You're not dead. You're in the speed force."

Wally ran his hand over his face. This was good news, but it somehow felt just as hopeless.

"I need to get back. Everyone will be worried. How do I get out of here?"

Wally was still staring off into space when he spoke. When he didn't get an immediate answer, he looked back to Dick, only to realize that it was Barry standing beside him now, and they weren't on the rooftop anymore. They were in the back room of Barry's old apartment, which he had used as a lab.

It also happened to be where Wally single handedly recreated the events that led to the Flash getting his powers. This was where Wally West became a speedster.

"There's a lot you'll need to learn before you'll be fast enough to go back. The speed force will bring the answers to you, as long as you open yourself up to them." Barry informed him.

"What? Can you please spare me the cryptic riddles, Dumbledore?" Wally rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Barry would have laughed at that joke. But this wasn't Barry. Instead, 'Barry's' unknowable expression didn't change when the subject did.

"Do you remember why you became a hero?" 'Barry', asked.

Wally's cheeks turned red. "Well… because of you, uncle Barry." He knew it wasn't really his uncle, but the words just came out before he could give them any thought.

"Barry influenced you so much. Why?" Not-Barry asked.

Wally decided to play along. Maybe this was part of what he needed to learn before he could go back home.

"He's always been there. He's like a father to me. He taught me how to use my powers when I got them, he took me on as his protege and his partner. Hell, he taught me everything I know about being a hero. Barry… well, he's _my_ hero… in and out of the costume." Wally surprised himself. He hadn't really connected with Barry in a while. He didn't realize how much he still craved that relationship.

Speed force Barry nodded. "You look up to him."

"Yeah. I wanted to _be_ him. I mean, I literally almost killed myself to try to be like him." Wally chuckled as he looked around the room. The chemicals were just where Wally had put them when he created the experiment that gave him his speed all those years ago.

"You're special, Wally. You gave yourself powers, so your connection to the speed force isn't as strong as it is with most speedsters. Unlike the rest, you were not specifically chosen. You presented yourself as an option, and we accepted. You begged for these powers so you could be a hero, and yet, you quit. Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I wanted to live a normal life again. I wanted to settle down with Artemis."

Speed force Barry gave Wally a disappointed look. There was something else in that expression, too. Something that said he knew something that Wally didn't.

"You don't like thinking about yourself, do you?"

"What? I-"

"You'll never leave if you keep that up. Think harder. Try to remember." Then 'Barry' left, and Wally found himself even more confused than before.

If the speed force was trying to help by giving him a familiar face, it wasn't working. All it did was annoy Wally, since he _knew_ Dick and Barry, and that was _not them._ What the hell was he supposed to do with all that ambiguous bullshit?

Wally took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself. He sure as hell wasn't going to get out of here by being mad.

He ran their words over and over again in his mind, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do.

 _There's a lot you'll need to learn before you'll be fast enough to go back. The speed force will bring the answers to you, as long as you open yourself up to them._

 _You were not chosen. You presented yourself as an option, and we accepted. You begged for these powers so you could be a hero, and yet, you quit. Why?_

 _You don't like thinking about yourself, do you? Think harder. Try to remember._

To be fair, Wally really didn't like thinking about himself. In fact, he avoided thinking about himself so much that he had no idea he didn't like thinking about himself until not-Barry broke the news!

 _Think harder._

Wally sat cross legged on the floor and closed his eyes.

 _Try to remember._

Just then, a wave of memories came crashing through Wally's mind a mile a minute. They all lingered for only a moment before passing by. Birthdays, fights with his parents, his first mission with Barry, his first kiss with Artemis.

Wally realized soon that he was _letting_ the memories pass by. He felt like he was sifting through his own memories, looking for something important. They came randomly, some old and some new, some pleasant, and some not as much. He let the good memories loiter in his mind for a while before releasing them to make room for the next one. Some memories seemed to call out to him more than others, they refused to be forgotten. He let a relatively easy one come first. Once he allowed the memory to consume him, it wasn't just a memory. He was there, living it over again, seeing, thinking, and feeling all the same things.

-Kid Flashback-

 **...1...**

Wally sat next to his best friend on a rooftop in Gotham. For some reason, Robin looked especially nervous. He had told Wally to meet him there, he said it was important, but didn't say what it was.

"Hey, Rob, you okay?"

Instead of responding, Robin just looked Wally in the eye. He took a deep breath, and _removed his mask._ Wally's eyes almost popped out of his skull. He recognized the face under the mask, too.

"You _Dick!"_ Wally shoved Dick's shoulder jokingly and they both laughed. Wally West and Dick Grayson had met on a few occasions. They were both admittedly colossal nerds, and their schools had competed against each other for the national academic decathlon.

"Wait, if you're Dick Grayson… does that mean…. Bru-" Wally was interrupted when Dick's hand sprung up over his mouth.

"Shhh! Don't go around saying it! You know that's like, one of the most well protected secrets of the league?" Even after Dick took his hand off Wally's mouth, he couldn't find any words. He just stared at his friend in awe.

"Say something? I'm kind of out on a limb here." Robin fidgeted with one of the compartments in his utility belt.

"Who else knows?"

"Um, the founding members of the league, our butler slash basically my grandfather figure, Alfred. There's a doctor we trust a lot, Leslie Thompkins. And you. That's it."

"Why me?" Wally was glad Dick told him. He considered Robin to be his best friend. It was nice to know who was behind the mask, but he didn't understand why he would be trusted with that.

Robin looked more anxious, almost like he was second guessing his decision, and that made Wally feel guilty. He knew he should be more supportive.

"I just… this is like, top secret information, dude. I'm glad you told me. Actually, I feel honoured, and I swear I won't tell anyone. I'm just... surprised."

"Well, get prised." Dick grinned, looking more confident now. "You're my best friend, KF. As Robin, I'm literally not allowed to show my face to _anyone._ It's exhausting… and lonely. And I know you won't tell. I told you because I _trust_ you. A lot."

 **...2...**

"Everything okay, Nightwing?" Wally asked. Nightwing rarely used his communicator to call Wally, especially during a mission. Dick, Kaldur, and Tula had been assigned to investigate a lead on Klarion the witch boy.

"We could maybe-" * _crash_ * "use a little-" * _bang_ * "help, here, KF." Dick's voice sounded ragged, and there was quite a commotion going on in the background. It sounded like they were being ambushed.

"On my way." Wally used the GPS on Nightwing's comm to find them. He knew Flash was off world, so of course Wally was the next fastest person Nightwing could call.

Wally arrived on the scene in minutes, just in time to see Klarion disappearing through a portal. Nightwing and Kaldur were too occupied fighting a _giant five headed dragon_ to stop Klarion from escaping. Tula was standing in the middle of the temple, chanting in a foreign language. Her feet were barely touching the ground, and her eyes glowed a neon green color. She looked like she was in a trance.

Wally raced towards the fight as fast as he could. The dragon spat a wave of fire at Nightwing and Kaldur, and they both dove away. While they leapt away from her fire, the dragon knocked both of them hard against the wall of the temple with one of her snouts. The two heroes fell to the ground, seemingly incapacitated. Tula's chanting grew louder, and the walls of the temple were starting to shake. The dragon screeched in pain and fell to the ground.

Everything else stood still as Wally rushed towards the chaos. A pillar was about to fall on Nightwing and Kaldur, and it looked like the whole structure would crumble any second. Wally made it over to an unconscious Nightwing and dragged him away from the temple, then ran back in for Kaldur, who was waking up, but too injured to get out on his own.

"Not me." Kaldur huffed out when he realized Wally was trying to pick him up. He was only able to get out two more words before he lost consciousness again.

"Save Tula."

Wally ignored the request. Of course he wasn't going to leave Kaldur behind! He would go back for Tula. He hoisted Aqualad over his shoulder and got him out of the way, just in time before the pillar crashed to the ground where Kaldur had been moments earlier. Wally quickly ran Kaldur out of the temple. He turned back and saw that Tula was still inside.

"Tula, move!" Wally called out, racing towards Aquagirl as fast as he could. If she heard him, she didn't react. She only continued chanting, ensuring that the ritual would be successful, no matter the cost. The temple was on it's last limb now.

It was clear now that Tula had every intention of sealing both the dragon, and herself under the rubble. The league would be there soon, but the walls were already collapsing in around Tula and the dragon. Wally ran towards the falling structure.

If he was fast enough, maybe he could save Tula.

 _If_ he was fast enough.

Which he wasn't.

 **...3...**

The door to the Garrick's place was already opened, so Wally walked right in.

"Nightwing called. Thought I might be of some help with this mess. Oohgh!"

Wally grunted as he was caught in a _really tight_ surprise hug from some speedster kid who apparently claimed to be Barry's grandson from the future.

The kid pulled back just far enough to look up at Wally, his arms still wrapped around Wally's sides. He looked excited, relieved, and way too comfortable. It made Wally feel… well, _un_ comfortable.

"You're Wally West! My first cousin once removed!" The kid's voice cracked slightly at Wally's name, but Wally chalked it up to him going through puberty or something.

"The operative word being, removed." Wally pushed Bart away from him and tried to ignore the hurt expression that the kid was clearly trying to hide. What was this kid's deal? They didn't even know each other.

From that point on, though, Bart never saw Wally without at least _trying_ to sucker him into a death trap disguised as a hug. On several occasions, Wally caught Bart just… staring at him. It was weird.

Wally was always suspicious of Bart. He knew something was off with the kid. He didn't trust him, or like him, and he hated that he couldn't find a concrete reason for why. He felt sick when he saw Bart running with Barry. Wally might not have been Barry's sidekick anymore, but it still hurt to be replaced so quickly.

 **...4...**

Wally, Barry, Iris and Bart were all sitting at the dinner table at Barry and Iris' place. Wally only came because he wanted to keep an eye on Bart, but he'd lost his cool. Everything Wally despised Bart for just spewed out of his mouth, and before he knew it, he had essentially given Bart an admittedly uncalled for verbal beat down. He accused Bart of being at fault for basically everything that had gone wrong since he'd come to the past.

The truth was, Wally secretly blamed himself for not being there. He had quit the hero gig, and when he wasn't around, everything literally crumbled. Again.

But since Wally doesn't like to think about Wally, he took his anger at himself out on Bart, and in the moment, he didn't even feel guilty about that.

"Mount Justice is _gone_ because of _you_!" Wally slammed his fist on the table, and Bart flinched like he thought he was about to get hit.

Wally subconsciously distanced himself from the memory at that point. He couldn't feel that kind of anger towards Bart anymore, so now he was watching the memory unfold as a bystander instead of fully living in it. As the memory played in Wally's mind, he noticed how upset Bart looked. He was blinking back tears at Wally's words, and although he tried to hide it, his hands were shaking slightly. Worms crawled around in Wally's stomach at the sound of his voice ripping into Bart. They were Wally's own words, but they were too harsh and cold to sound familiar.

"I just…" Bart stuttered a bit and his voice cracked, "I just wanted to be part of the family…"

Wally was glaring daggers into Bart. "You are _not_ my family."

 **...5...**

This 'memory' was different from the rest. Wally didn't recognize his surroundings at all. He still felt himself living through it, though, just like the first few memories. He walked through a neighborhood, carrying a sack that was full with a bunch of junk. All the homes in the neighborhood were only halfway built, they looked like they had been under construction, but were abandoned for some reason. It was hot enough for Wally to know that it was the middle of the day, even though the sky was a dull gray color because of massive ash-clouds, so he couldn't quite place the sun.

Ash clouds? The setting seemed vaguely familiar, but it took Wally a moment to figure it out. This wasn't a memory from the past. This was the _future._ The sky was the same gray Wally had seen in Bart's memories. How was he remembering something that hadn't happened yet? Something that would never happen? This could never happen...

…

Wally gasped and opened his eyes, snapping out of what felt like a trance. He felt exhausted and empty. There was a _reason_ he didn't like thinking about himself.

He looked up, and Artemis- well, speed force Artemis- was sitting next to him now. Wally assumed the speed force was some kind of all-knowing entity, because 'Artemis' knew exactly what Wally had been thinking.

"The future is a sensitive thing, Wally. What you're seeing is an alternate timeline. A future that has already played out, and no longer exists."

The words were reassuring. They really had saved the world if the future Bart lived was never going to happen.

"So how am I seeing this? I remember it like it already happened to me."

'Artemis' shifted so she was facing Wally now.

"Time doesn't exist in the speed force the way it does out there. Here, your past, present and future is available to you, if we allow you to see it. Like I said, the future is sensitive, and we rarely reveal it, but in this case, it's relevant. This is a future that only exists in memories, now. And there is much you can learn from it."

Wally didn't know if he wanted to learn about the future that Bart came from. The image of himself dying had been haunting Wally's nightmares since they had stolen that memory from Bart. Maybe he had learned enough already from his own memories.

"I think I know why I quit…"

'Artemis' just looked at him, silently encouraging him to continue. Wally hated this. He didn't want to talk about himself, but he knew it was the only way to get out. He knew this would only get harder. He just wanted to give up, but he wanted to get home more. Everyone probably thought he died. Artemis and his parents would be worried sick or in mourning. Dick would probably blame himself, and Wally didn't want that.

And Bart…

Wally knew he was safe now, and didn't need saving, but the thought of Bart still stung. He knew he needed to get out of his comfort zone if he was going to be able to go back and make things right.

"I quit because… I'm scared. I spent my entire career as a hero just trying to live up to Barry. I did everything I could to be just like him. But I'm not Barry, I'm something else, and that… scares the hell out of me. I wasn't always fast enough. Tula died because I wasn't fast enough."

Wally had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. He had been avoiding all of this, and finally saying it out loud felt… weird. The words burned his throat as they came out, but it was good. It felt like a huge pressure was finally being released. He knew he wasn't done, yet, though.

"When you're a hero, everyone trusts you. They put their faith in you without questioning anything. I… I guess I was scared that I wasn't ever going to be good enough on my own. No matter how hard I tried, I was never Barry. And… you know what? I'm scared of _becoming_ Barry, too. I don't ever want to have as much influence over someone as Barry had over me…"

'Artemis' looked pleased, but not fully satisfied.

"You know you already have that influence over someone. Why does that scare you?"

Wally looked down. He knew it was true, but he didn't want to admit it.

Wally was Bart's Barry.

"... I'll just let him down. I mean… I already did let him down. I was horrible to him. I'm not a good role model. Besides, he's faster than I am, I can't mentor him like Barry did for me. I can't teach him anything."

"You don't believe in yourself."

Wally kept silently staring at the ground.

"Dig deeper."

Then 'Artemis' disappeared, and Wally was left to search for the answers in a future that would never come to pass.

* * *

 **AN:** **Don't worry, that unfinished 'memory' from the future will continue in the next chapter :)**

 **So sorry again for the long wait in between chapters. I'm still having health problems, so I haven't been writing as much. I'm already working on the next chapter though, so it won't be too long.**

 **Anyways, please let me know what you thought of this chapter! If you review, it will make me feel better. and write faster ;)**

 **Thanks so much to Ardoa88, i-am-my-own-queen, Rainfall04, and Kate for the feedback on the last chapter! Yall are the best!**


	21. Wally's Memories Part 2

**AN: keep in mind that Bart was only around roughly 6 or 7 ish when his parents went missing, and around 10 ish when Wally died and he was captured by the reach. So in all of Wally's memories with Bart, he's only just a smol cinnamon roll.**

* * *

Guilt was still welled up in Wally's chest from seeing how he treated Bart when he first came to the past. He had been such a jerk to him, all because he was insecure about his relationship with Barry. Somehow, Bart still looked up to Wally after everything. Wally didn't know how to handle that.

He told himself he would make things right with Bart as soon as he was able to go back. Maybe he didn't have anything to teach Bart about his abilities, but he could still be there for him.

He just… didn't know how to fix things. Ever since Bart went missing, Wally had done a lot of thinking about Bart's timeline. Wally wondered how someone like Bart could come from a hell like that.

Wally unfolded his legs and let himself fall into a lying position. How was he supposed to mentor someone that was faster than him? Why was the speed force even concerned about Wally's relationship with Bart in the first place? Wally remembered what 'Artemis' said about Bart's timeline.

 _This is a future that only exists in memories, now. And there is much you can learn from it._

Wally closed his eyes, and let the interrupted memory come back to him so he could finish it. He tried especially hard to let himself be fully immersed in the memory. He wanted to really live it. He wanted to feel everything as if it were happening in that moment. If nothing else, he would hopefully understand Bart better after this.

Kid Flashback

 **...5...**

Wally walked through the half constructed neighborhood with his bag of junk until he made his way over to one of the few homes that had a roof and windows. There were boulders and rubble blocking all of the obvious entries to the house, and all of the windows were covered so you couldn't see inside. At first glance, it would look like that particular home had just been the victim of some force of nature, but at closer inspection, it looked like it was being lived in. Wally seemed to be familiar with the place. He walked up to a window and knocked four times quickly, then two times slowly.

Within seconds, it slid open, and Wally climbed in, closing the window behind him. A young Bart stood in front of him with a full trash bag in his arms, only slightly struggling to hold it upright. The bag was practically bigger than Bart himself, but he held onto it proudly, as if he was showing off. They both wore wide grins as they emptied the contents of their respective bags in two separate piles on the floor, then sat down facing each other behind their piles of junk.

Somehow, this all felt so familiar. Like this was something he and Bart would do all the time. It must have been some kind of habitual game.

"I get to go first, since you were late." Bart announced confidently.

"Fair enough. Sorry about that, Buggy."

Bart lit up at the nickname, completely forgetting about Wally's tardiness. It was a silly nickname, but it never failed to put a smile on Bart's face. 'Buggy' was something Bart's parents had called him since he was old enough to talk, and every time Wally used it, Bart visibly beamed.

The nickname was a sort of nod at Bart's constant high energy. When he was little, Bart was sometimes too hyperactive for his own good. Wally could relate, since he knew what it was like to have to sit still when your speedster molecules were relentlessly screaming at you to _move._ It was a miracle Bart could show enough restraint in his early days to not use his speed, but it was obvious that he was always itching to run around as fast as he could.

"Well, what'll it be?" Wally gestured towards his pile, encouraging Bart to make a decision.

"That." After a quick scan of Wally's pile, Bart pointed to a rubber keychain shaped like a cat.

Wally picked it up, but didn't hand it over quite yet.

"What are you willing to trade for it?" He smirked devilishly and dangled the keychain in the air, as if he were holding it hostage.

"Hmmm…" Bart tapped his chin a few times as he eyed his collection of findings. He finally pulled out a broken slinky that was incredibly tangled. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Wally for approval.

Wally shook his head no, so Bart tossed the slinky away so it was in its own pile, and continued rummaging through his stack.

"These?" He pulled out a pair of uneven sunglasses from his pile. One of the lenses was missing, and the other was cracked, but Wally took them anyways.

"Deal." Wally tossed Bart the keychain, and put on the broken sunglasses. He looked at Bart and dramatically wriggled his eyebrows to try and look suave. "How do I look?"

"You look funny." Bart laughed. "Your turn."

Wally feigned a hurt expression, but played along anyways. They continued trading items, tossing the things neither of them wanted into the third pile, until they were both satisfied with what they had.

Bart scooped up his pile and ran joyfully into one of the rooms. He dropped a few things along the way, but didn't notice. Within seconds, Wally could hear Bart already happily playing with his new 'toys.'

Wally shook his head and laughed. He _really_ loved that kid. When the Reach took over, Wally had decided he never wanted to have children. He didn't want to bring anyone else into this hell hole. Somehow, Bart came along and changed all that. He may not have been Wally's son, but he might as well have been, and life was so much better this way.

Even with everything they had been through, Bart still found a way to be a fun loving kid. Wally felt a sense of pride at that, and he swore to himself he would protect that boy's innocence until his dying breath. As long as Wally could help it, Bart would be able to one day look back on his childhood and smile.

 **...6...**

Wally woke up to someone nudging his shoulder. Bart was usually very persistent when he wanted to wake Wally up. So as if he were hitting 'snooze' on an alarm, he groggily rolled over and groaned as he brushed away the hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry." It was barely a whisper, and Wally almost didn't notice. He was too clouded with sleep to make sense of the fact that Bart was uncharacteristically apologizing for trying to wake him up.

A few minutes must have passed before Wally, still half asleep, realized that the hand didn't persist, and he heard sniffling. He finally opened his eyes and saw Bart sitting in front of him. Bart's knees were pulled into his chest and he had his arms wrapped around his shins with his face was buried in his knees. His breathing was ragged enough that it was clear he was crying.

"Hey, kiddo. Bad dream?"

Bart whimpered into his knees at the question and his breath spasmed, almost like a hiccup. Finally, Bart lifted his face so his chin rested on top of his knee. Tears were cascading down Bart's flushed cheeks and nose, and he nodded.

"Come here." Wally kept his voice as soft as he could. He rolled onto his back and reached his arms out. Still sniveling, Bart dropped into Wally's grasp and cuddled up on his chest. They laid like that for a few minutes, but Bart only seemed to cry harder.

"You want to talk about it?" Wally asked as the fog from sleep wore off.

Bart just muttered to himself between sobs. Wally could only make out two words.

"My fault…"

Wally knew Bart could only be talking about his parents. It had been a few weeks since Bart witnessed their executions, but it hadn't seemed to really hit him until now.

"Hey, Buggy, look at me." Wally sat up and lifted Bart up with him so they were eye to eye. Bart's lips twitched at the nickname, but his tears only grew thicker.

"Kid, none of that was your fault. You did nothing wrong, okay?"

Bart shook his head frantically. Before he knew it, the words poured out of him as uncontrollably as the tears, only interrupted by an occasional gasp for air.

"I ran that day, Wally, they got caught because I ran, I think. And then the first thing I did was run to you, and now you're stuck here with me all because I couldn't just walk. I just wanted to run so bad, I thought I would feel like a superhero if I could be fast. And I _still_ want to run. I want to run every day but I'll never get to! I swear I won't do it. I'm sorry! Do you hate me? You probably hate me. I could have run away by myself but I dragged you into it and now you're stuck trying to take care of me, but-" Bart finally paused to take in a few rickety breaths. "but... you don't have to, Wally. You should- you should just leave me."

Bart couldn't look Wally in the eye anymore, so he buried his face in his knees again.

"Oh, Bart… No…" Wally felt like he'd just been hit with a ton of bricks. Was Bart really suggesting that Wally just abandon him to fend for himself?

After spending well over a year with nothing but each other, Wally couldn't even imagine life without Bart. Bart was the only thing that kept Wally going. He gave Wally a purpose. Bart was Wally's redemption. He was the light in a world where the sun never came out. Even in this hopeless world, Wally and Bart were somehow happy, for the most part. They had each other. They had _fun._ It was always Wally and Bart against the world.

Wally may have needed Bart more than Bart needed Wally, so hearing Bart say he wanted to be left behind absolutely crushed him. The rock in Wally's throat made it hard for him to speak, so he swallowed it and let it sink to the floor with his heart. Wally didn't even know where to start. He was never that great with his words, but he tried his best.

"First of all... you can't blame yourself, Bart. You were little. You didn't know how dangerous it was. This is _not_ your fault. None of it is. So, _no._ I'm not going to just leave you."

Bart hiccupped again and kept his face buried. He was usually so easy to cheer up, but then again, Wally hadn't seen Bart this upset since his parents first went missing.

"Second. Kid, there is absolutely nothing you could ever do that would make me hate you. Do you have any idea how much I _love_ being stuck with you? I'm not going anywhere, you hear me?"

Bart eventually pulled his face up from behind his knees so he could lean his head on Wally's shoulder. Wally wrapped an arm around Bart and continued.

"Even if you hadn't come running to me, I would have run to you. I would have still gotten myself stuck taking care of you. You're the one who's stuck with _me_ , alright?"

Bart actually laughed at that. There were still tears, and it was a guttural laugh-cry, but it got him to smile, so it was a good step.

"Third…" Wally took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "I want to run every day, too. I miss it a lot, being a hero."

"But… you _are_ a hero…" Bart's eyebrows scrunched together as he looked up at Wally. His sobs had given way to soft sniffles by now, and the tear tracks on his cheeks had already dried. That caught Wally off guard. He hadn't been called a hero in decades. When he realized what Bart meant, he perked up and squeezed his shoulder. Wally _was_ still a hero, at least to Bart.

"Alright, but if I'm a hero, then so are you. You're _my_ hero, Bug, you know that?" Finally, that light in Bart's eyes slowly started to come back, and he didn't try to stop the smile from creeping back onto his face at what Wally said.

"See? You don't need to be fast to be a hero. It's okay to want to run, though. I'm a firm believer that nothing lasts forever. One of these days, the Reach are going to fall, I know it." Bart's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. The Reach was pretty much all powerful, and Wally may have been trying to convince himself more than Bart. Still, Bart needed something to hope for. They both did.

"I mean it. Nothing lasts forever. Nothing. Reach apocalypse included. One of these days, we are _going_ to run again. And I'll tell you what… when that day comes, I'll race you around the whole world."

At that, Bart threw his arms around Wally so tight that it knocked the wind out of him. No matter how painful or uncomfortably tight Bart's embraces were, they were Wally's favorite hugs in the world.

…

Wally opened his eyes and half expected Bart to still be hugging him, but he wasn't. Of course he wasn't. Wally almost forgot that he was still in the speed force, the memories felt so real. They _were_ real. At least, they were to Bart.

Maybe being a hero wasn't so bad, after all. Even when he wasn't fighting crime, Wally was a hero to Bart. In those memories, Wally wasn't trying to be anyone else. He didn't have anyone else to live up to. Bart loved _Wally._ And Wally loved Bart.

Loves Bart.

Bart was the only good thing that came from that future, and he was alone. He would have lived out the rest of his life with no one else but Zoom having any idea what he went through.

But Wally could remember now, and he wasn't about to let Bart be alone in this anymore.

Wally made up his mind. Since time wasn't real here, he could take as much of it as he needed. He was going to remember.

He was going to remember _all of it_.

* * *

 **AN: I'm going to be honest, this story is my baby. It was the first one I ever started and I am really attached to it but I am losing motivation to finish it. I got some news recently about my health that kind of messed me up, and it's been really hard to keep up with this. However, I could really use the distraction of writing or talking to people at the moment, so I would really appreciate having someone to throw around ideas with or beta read or just to nerd out with me. Talk to me on tumblr (username on my profile) or message me on here if you want.**

 **I'll love you forever :)**

 **Also thanks so much to Rainfall04, Zatannagurl, Ardoa88, and i-am-my-own-queen for reviewing the last chapter! the reviews are my life blood seriously please keep them coming**


	22. Bedtime Stories

**AN: sorry for the wait! I wasn't feeling well enough to write for a while, but I started drawing again! Which is amazing for me, because it's been years and it truly is a form of therapy for me. Feel free to check out my tumblr if you want to see what I've been working on :)**

* * *

Wally remembered.

He remembered the Reach taking over. He remembered Barry dying, and then Artemis, and then Dick. He remembered almost everyone he cared about getting either captured or killed.

He remembered going into hiding instead of fighting and feeling like a coward. He lost all hope for the world and hid until the Reach forgot about him. Wally was no hero.

Then he remembered Bart knocking on his door and changing everything. Wally finally had a purpose again. He finally had someone to protect.

He remembered all the 'birthdays' they celebrated, and he remembered 'stargazing' when there were no stars in sight. He remembered how Bart made everything into a game, and how they never let their circumstances get the better of them. Wally was finally happy again.

Then he died.

…

Wally jolted up at the memory of his own death. He didn't just remember these things. He felt like he'd just lived out the next 40 years of his life. He died knowing that Bart was going to become a slave to the Reach, and that Wally wouldn't be there to protect him. He had to take a moment to realize that this wasn't the future that was going to happen anymore. The future had changed, and even though it did happen for Bart, he was safe now. It was over.

But, it still happened.

Before long, the speed force brought another familiar face to Wally.

Bart.

"So, do you want to go be a hero again?" 'Bart' gave Wally a warm grin, and despite knowing it wasn't really Bart, Wally couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes. Whatever it takes. I want to go back." He really did miss being a hero. More than he cared to admit. But this time, he would do it in his own way. He was Wally West, not Barry Allen, and that was okay. That was good.

"Good, because your connection to the speed force is stronger than ever. We'll help you. Try to keep up." 'Bart' smirked, and then ran away. Wally chased him, he did owe Bart a race, after all.

This wasn't Bart, though. This Bart moved with a speed and grace that Wally had never seen before. It was the freaking speed force, after all. Wally told himself that as soon as he got back, he would race Bart for real, just like he had promised. Once Wally started following, 'Bart' became a glowing orb. It flew ahead faster than even Barry could run, but Wally was somehow keeping up?

Everything except the orb disappeared, and Wally ran after it through the seemingly endless void.

As he ran, he felt electricity flowing through his veins, and sparks radiated off of his body. There was a vaguely familiar trail of lightning behind him, but it felt different than usual. His speed wasn't what created the lightning, the electricity was coming from somewhere else now. The lightning was helping to propel him forward, drawing him towards the orb.

The orb only flew away faster and faster, but Wally was getting faster, too. He didn't know why, but he was compelled to not only keep up with it, but catch it. Wally eventually got within arms length of the orb and reached out his arm to touch it.

Once his hand finally made contact, the orb opened up into a portal and engulfed Wally's body, finally thrusting him back to the world he was familiar with.

…Bart…

Contrary to popular belief, Bart was not used to running long distances. He hadn't even gotten a chance to really test out his powers until he came back to the past. Nathaniel had explained to him in as much detail as he could all the things that he knew speedsters could do, but it wasn't the same.

Besides, when Bart would try to run long distances, he couldn't shake the creeping fear that the Reach was still going to catch him using his speed. His instincts from being in hiding always stopped him from wandering, so Bart rarely ran unless he had somewhere specific to go.

In order to keep from running aimlessly, Bart usually just ran to the most familiar places when he was upset. But this time, there was nowhere in particular that stuck out. He couldn't go anywhere league or team related right now. He obviously couldn't go anywhere Barry might go, so that took Jay and Joan's place out of the question, too.

For once, Bart didn't know where he was going, but he ran anyways. For the first time ever, Bart found himself running without knowing exactly where he was going, and he hated every second of it.

Somehow, as usual, Bart did end up somewhere familiar. He hadn't necessarily gotten here on purpose, at least not consciously. Bart froze when he realized where he went. He found himself in El Paso, staring at Jaime's house from across the street.

"Here, really?" he said out loud.

He couldn't come any closer to the house. If he was being honest with himself, he knew why he was here. He missed Jaime. They were best friends, and he missed having someone he could trust. Bart was used to coming here when he was upset. He usually didn't even tell Jaime why he was around, but Jaime would somehow just make things easier. The last time he came here, though -

"Fuck!" Bart kicked a tree in frustration. That was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. Well, maybe the second to last thing.

He couldn't go there. He couldn't. He cursed himself for coming so close at all. Aside from the obvious reasons, it would be too predictable. He didn't want Barry or anyone else to be able to find him.

So he ran away again. He still didn't know where he was going, and every fiber of his being begged him to just slow down. Anxiety swelled up in his chest every time he ran, and he couldn't push the fear away right now. Pushing that away would make room for other feelings that Bart was definitely not ready to face.

The irrational fear of being caught running tugged at his muscles and no doubt made him slower, but he ignored it long enough to finally reach the one familiar place that no one would ever come looking.

Bart skidded to a stop in a neighborhood that was still under construction. Luckily, it was late enough that no one was working, and it was completely empty. The neighborhood looked the exact same as it did when Bart and Wally lived here. That meant if they hadn't changed things, the Reach apocalypse would have begun right around now. He brushed that thought aside and rushed over to the house he and Wally used to stay in before he finally slowed down.

He climbed up to the roof, slowly, like he had done when he was a kid. He imagined that Wally was climbing up right behind him like he used to, just in case Bart fell. When he hoisted himself up to the top, he sat on the edge, looked up at the stars, and let out a sigh that finally released some of the pressure in his chest.

… flashback…

Bart and Wally sat on the edge of the roof and stared at a blank grey night sky for the first time of many. Wally gazed up with a look of wonder that Bart didn't understand.

"What are you looking at?" Bart squinted and scrunched his nose, trying to look for something out of the ordinary.

"You know what stars are, kid?"

Bart smiled fondly while he thought about it. "Mom told me about them, yeah. She said when someone dies, their spirit goes up in the sky to look after us. She told me they used to light up at night... but we can't see 'em anymore, 'cause of…" Bart paused, scratching his head. "I don't remember."

Wally frowned and spoke without thinking. "That makes no sense."

Wally was obviously not quite used to taking care of a kid, yet. He cringed right after he said it, knowing he should have let it be. Bart cocked his head to the side curiously, and Wally knew he had to finish his thought.

"Well, kid, stars are just massive super-hot gas balls in space. We can't see them because of the ash clouds and all the pollution. But they're still there, just behind all this.. grey. They're really huge, but they're so far away that they'd just look like little white sparkles in the sky if you could see them."

Bart stared at Wally with a fire in his eyes resembling those very same gas balls Wally had mentioned.

"Woah."

That was probably the coolest thing he had ever heard. Wally must have caught on that Bart was interested, because he kept going. He told Bart about the sun and how it was the closest star. He told him about how the earth moves around the sun to make sunsets and sunrises. He described what it looked like when the sun peeked up over the horizon in the morning. He talked until Bart understood why Wally looked at the sky like that.

From then on, Wally began telling bedtime stories to Bart. Wally's stories weren't about dragons or princesses or vampires. They were about stars and sunrises. Wally would explain the science behind why it looked so pretty. Well, why it would look pretty, if not for the ash clouds. He would tell Bart about the vastness of the universe and that they were all just tiny specs in the grand scheme of things. Bart grew to love science as much as Wally did; he absolutely adored learning about things that seemed impossible, but, apparently, weren't.

As Bart got older, talks about stars led to talks about the universe, which eventually led to talks about the multiverse and so on. Bart's bedtime stories were more like science lessons than urban legends or folktales.

Alternate realities and dimensions and timelines, oh my.

Bart would always ask as many questions as he could think of, and Wally always shot back with the answers. He seemed to know this stuff like the back of his hand.

"If the sun is the reason we have warmth, and the universe is always stretching itself out, are we going to get farther and farther away from the sun until it gets really cold?"

"Actually, kid, before that ever happens, our sun is going to explode and die! But that won't be any time soon. I wouldn't worry about it."

"If there are other universes coexisting right here and now, on top of ours, then why can't we see them?"

"We're just vibrating at different frequencies, dude."

Bart had only managed to stump Wally once.

"If the theory of parallel universes is correct in this reality, what about the universe where it isn't?"

...present...

Bart tried to remember how insignificant this was supposed to be. The idea that there was so much more out there than this was comforting. He stared up at the stars on the edge of the rooftop, and pictured Wally sitting next to him, talking his ear off about the string theory, or something. Bart let out a small laugh to himself.

He eventually laid down on his back, still dangling his feet over the edge. Being here was nice, but it was weird without Wally. This was their spot, and it felt empty now.

Bart wondered what Wally would say to him if he were here. Other than that one time, Wally always had the answers. Whether it was about science, or life, or anything else, he always knew what to do. Bart closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Wally would say to make this better.

"Come on, Bug. You didn't seriously think I would leave you alone on your birthday, right?"

* * *

 **AN: Yall are amazing. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to everyone who reached out to me since the last chapter. Your kind words and well wishes are truly getting me through a really hard time.**

 **As always, please let me know if you have any suggestions! Reviews are my lifeblood so please leave them if you have the time :)**


	23. Reunion

" _Come on, Bug. You didn't seriously think I would leave you alone on your birthday, right?"_

That voice … Was he hearing things? Bart scrambled to his feet to check if his imagination had betrayed him. Was he _seeing_ things?

When Bart stood up, he saw Wally, clear as day, standing on the ground in front of the house. He was still wearing his Kid Flash uniform, and there was something about him that seemed different, maybe because this was _clearly_ a delusion.

"Wha... Wa-Wally?" Bart's tongue stuttered along with his footing. Wally zipped up to the roof in an instant. The redhead's genuine grin practically took up his entire face. Bart, on the other hand, looked like he was staring at a ghost. His skin went cold and lost color. He couldn't tell if he was shaking from the shock or the cool night air. He took a cautious step back, forgetting he was already at the roof's edge, and lost his footing once again.

He dropped for a split second before Wally grabbed him. Bart clung onto Wally's arms as tightly as he could, partially so he wouldn't fall and break another bone, but also because he wanted to know if this was real. Wally sure _felt_ real, but it wasn't possible, right?

In a split second they were both back on the roof, but away from the edge this time.

"It's me, kid. I'm he- ooph!"

Bart didn't wait for Wally to finish before rushing into a hug. He latched on like a koala, as if Wally would disappear if he loosened his grasp for even a moment.

As soon as Wally recovered from the initial surprise of the sudden embrace, he wrapped his arms around Bart and squeezed back just as tightly. Once Wally returned the hug, Bart couldn't contain himself.

He held on for dear life, and let his relief manifest in the unexpected release of tears.

"I thought you were dead," Bart choked out between sobs, and they both held on even tighter.

 _Wally was alive. He was right here._ _And_ _he_ remembered.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here, now… I'm here." Wally spoke without pulling away from the hug. His voice cracked as he tried to choke back tears of his own, but they came out anyway.

And that… that was everything Bart could have ever wished to hear. Bart felt like he was a little kid again in Wally's arms, and he didn't mind it at all. He had forgotten how safe Wally made him feel. Just being in his presence made everything different. It wasn't _fixed,_ but it was going to be okay.

After a few long moments, Bart finally let go of Wally to wipe away his tears. He was surprised when he saw Wally do the same; he hadn't realized that Wally had been crying, too.

"I really missed you, Buggy." Wally gave Bart a teary-eyed smile, then playfully ruffled his hair to try to lighten the mood.

Bart chewed on his bottom lip. Of course he had missed Wally, too, but he had so many questions that tried to push their way onto his tongue before he was able to say it back. How did he come back to life? How did he know about the birthday thing, or the nickname? He still wasn't even convinced this was real at all. The first question he blurted out was one he had been wondering since he found out Wally had helped rescue him from Zoom.

"You . . . uhm, you don't still hate me?"

"Oh, god, Bart, of course I don't . . ." Wally looked visibly pained by the notion. He pulled Bart in for another quick hug and squeezed tight to reaffirm his answer in Bart's mind. Then he pulled away and sat down, and patted the space next to him, inviting Bart to sit, too. After a moment, Bart sat down with his legs crossed. He winced at the movement, realizing just then how sore he was. Running so much had probably been a really bad idea, since he hadn't completely healed yet. Everything still _really_ _hurt._

But Bart had more important things to think about now. He couldn't take his eyes off Wally, because there was _no way this was real._ Wally took a few moments to look up at the sky before he said anything else.

"Listen, I was a jerk to you. I wish I could take all that back because you didn't deserve that, okay? I'm sorry, Bug. I didn't remember you, but that's no excuse. I was being selfish and insecure, and just an all around shithead… But, I _never_ hated you. Nothing you could do would make me hate you, don't you remember that?"

Bart looked up at Wally sheepishly. In all honesty, he'd been feeling really sick of everyone apologizing to him lately. But for some reason, this was different. With Wally, it meant more than Bart ever thought possible. It was exactly like it had been years ago. Somehow Wally just said the words - any words, really - and the weight of the world would just release its crushing grip on Bart's shoulders and gracefully float away into space. Bart could have sworn he saw a new twinkle in the sky at that very moment. It was like the immense pressure that had just floated away was enough to form another big fiery gas ball.

Bart let out a sigh of relief before he let the rest of Wally's words sink in. He remembered. How was that possible?

"How . . . how did you . . ." Bart stuttered again before trailing off. Maybe his mind _was_ playing tricks on him.

"I, uh, kind of got stuck in the speed force..." Wally casually ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. Bart's eyes widened. Wally had told him everything he knew about the speed force during some of his 'bedtime stories.' It was probably the most fascinating subject they'd ever talked about.

Wally chuckled at Bart's nonverbal response.

"I know, right? Maybe we can save this particular story for later, but I remember now. I remember you, this," Wally gestured to the sky, "all of it."

Bart had come to terms a while back with the fact that he would essentially be alone. He wasn't supposed to even talk about the future, so he had long given up on the notion of anyone else being able to understand what he had been through. He came here alone, and he had come to accept the isolation of being the only one who really _knew._ But Wally remembered now. He wasn't alone anymore.

"Crash…" Was all Bart managed to get out.

Then they both laid back in sync, propping themselves up on their elbows and, for the first time ever, the two of them stargazed. _For real._

"So do you think I did this any kind of justice?" Wally said without taking his eyes off the sky.

"Not even close…" Bart whispered. He was mesmerized. Sure, he had seen stars since coming to the past, but he had usually avoided looking. It only served as a painful reminder of his past. He never really took the time to appreciate it until now. Here, with Wally, he finally really _looked._ And it was just like old times.

A cool breeze hit the both of them and sent a visible shudder down Bart's back. The crisp chill in the air got Bart's teeth chattering, and he started shivering again. Wally frowned, then disappeared for a brief moment. When he came back, Bart found a blanket draped over his shoulders. Wally was sitting next to him again, this time with two empty mugs in his hands.

Bart's jaw dropped. "You're so fast now!"

Wally just shoved Bart's shoulder playfully. "Speed force does that to a guy, I guess." Then he frowned down at the empty mugs in his hands. "This was supposed to be hot chocolate… but I guess hot chocolate doesn't really like to run long distances, huh?"

Bart giggled like a child. "A for effort, Wally."

Bart didn't hesitate to grab onto the blanket and pull his knees up towards his chest. Then he pulled the corners of the blanket in and wrapped himself up in a little blanket burrito and grinned. He felt safe under the protection of the blanket, and Wally.

"You haven't changed one bit." Wally chuckled and put an arm around Bart.

Bart hummed and leaned his head on Wally's shoulder, then closed his eyes. He knew that Wally was talking about how easy Bart used to be to 'cheer up.' He was talking about how any little thing would make him forget whatever was bothering him.

Bart didn't bother to mention that he _had_ changed. No one else had ever been able to cheer him up like this, but he figured he would leave it alone. Somehow Wally just brought him right back to that, and he was a little kid again. Of course, Bart was _still_ a kid, but he had forgotten that a long time ago.

Apparently, all Bart needed was a hug, a few words, and a blanket to get him smiling again. He didn't know how how it happened. All he knew was that for the first time since Wally died, it worked. He finally felt _better._

"Hey, Bug, look." Wally whispered, and gently squeezed Bart's shoulder so he would open his eyes.

Bart's eyes followed Wally's pointing finger to where a sliver of bright gold peeked out over the horizon. Mighty hues of orange and red illuminated the bits of sky that met the distant ground. The clouds added splashes of pink and purple.

Bart tilted his head back to look higher up in the sky, where it still looked like night. One side of the horizon was waking up while the other was still illuminated by the moon and stars. Bart looked back to the sun and reached his hand out to it. He spread out his fingers, creating soft rays of light beaming between the cracks that cast a dancing silhouette on his face.

It wasn't just the sky that was breathtaking either. The shadows on the ground slowly drifted their way back into the half-built houses and the trees, which were all now tipped with gold.

Bart noticed a few construction workers starting to show up. It was comforting in a way. It was proof that things would be different this time around. This neighborhood was going to get built. There were going to be people living here. There would be a playground for the kids. He imagined people waking up early to walk their dogs in time to catch the sunrise.

Bart couldn't imagine ever sleeping in again. He wanted to watch this every morning. He wanted time to stop right here just so he wouldn't have to stop looking at the sky. But the sun didn't wait for anyone, and maybe that was a good thing. There would be more sunrises.

For now, this was a new day. A fresh start.

…

The next thing Bart knew he was being lifted up in Wally's arms. He hadn't even realized he was so tired, but he must have fallen asleep. Bart stirred a bit, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"I got you, Buggy. Go back to sleep." Wally gave Bart a warm, reassuring smile.

"Aren't I … a little old to still," he yawned, "get carried around? I can … I can run with you." Bart only protested with his words. He was already closing his eyes again and curling up in Wally's arms. He wasn't even sure whether or not he had said it out loud.

Then Wally was running. You would think it might be hard to relax while being carried around at super speed, but it was kind of nice. Wally had a certain grace to his run, it was smooth and calming. The energy field that protected speedsters when they ran muffled the noise of rushing wind just enough so that it sounded exactly like the ocean. The sound inside a seashell.

Soon enough, Bart found himself getting tucked into a bed. He was vaguely aware that it wasn't his room at the Garrick's.

"You can sleep here for tonight … er, morning? Don't go running away again, alright? You had everyone scared."

Bart gave a tired laugh. "I won't." He couldn't find a reason to, anymore.

"Good. You should probably rest up. I'm a lot faster, now, and you should really be at the top of your game for this." Wally smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

Wally looked absolutely offended. "Rude. Did you forget about our race?"

* * *

 **Thanks so much to Zatannagurl, Mia Tia, Ardoa88, Rainfall04, Colinpop5 and i-am-my-own-queen for the lovely reviews! you have motivated me to get this chapter out sooner than expected! Proof that reviews truly do make me write faster :)**


	24. you've never had a birthday party?

**Translations for any Spanish at the end.**

* * *

" _Rude. Did you forget about our race?"_

But Bart didn't answer. He was already out cold. Wally grinned and walked out of the room, careful to close the door quietly to avoid waking him back up. Then he silently made his way over to his and Artemis's room across the hall. Barry had no doubt told her that he was back, and he would have probably also told her about Bart running away. Hopefully she'd understand why he brought him here.

He saw a light peeking out through the crack at the bottom of the door, so he figured she was awake. She was probably waiting for him to come home. _Home._ Wally almost couldn't contain his excitement. It felt like it had been years since he'd seen her. He felt a twinge of guilt at not coming to her first. He had wanted to, but after finding out that Bart had run away, he knew he needed to find him first, to make sure he was safe. After everything that the kid had been through, he needed Wally more than Artemis did, even if Wally needed Artemis.

Wally's heart was pounding. He was so excited and nervous and _ready._ He took a deep breath before opening the door.

Artemis was sitting at the desk in the corner of the room, sound asleep and snoring quietly. Her laptop was still open, and her face rested on its side on the keyboard. Her fingers were still tightly wrapped around her phone on the desk like she had been waiting for someone to contact her. There was a small dribble of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth, and a few strands of blonde hair stuck to the sweat on her face. Wally couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. God, she was beautiful.

He wanted nothing more than to rush over and wake her up so he could hold her and kiss those drool soaked lips. Instead, he turned off the light and silently approached her. Careful not to wake her up, he cautiously unraveled her fingers from the phone and plugged it into the charger. She stirred slightly at the touch and muttered some sleepy nonsense, but didn't wake. Then he slipped a hand between her cheek and the keyboard, slid the laptop away from under her and closed it before gently brushing her hair out of her face.

As softly as he could, Wally scooped one arm under her knees and the other at her upper back so he could carry her to the bed. This time, her eyes flickered open and met Wally's loving gaze. Then they closed again. Wally laughed to himself. She was still sleeping.

He carefully laid her on the bed, making sure her head was comfortably resting on Wally's fluffy pillow that she would always steal from him. Then he laid down next to her so they were facing each other, and pulled the blanket over the two of them.

"Good night, babe. I love you."

He'd said it quietly, but his voice was all it took for her to finally wake up. Her eyes shot open at the sound, and stared for a moment in disbelief, despite already knowing that he was back. Instead of saying anything, she let out a hoarse squeal and threw her arms around her boyfriend. She nuzzled her face between his neck and shoulder and laughed.

"You're-" She kissed Wally on the top of his shoulder and then again on his neck, "You're back!" She continued her quick kisses, moving from Wally's neck up to his cheek.

"You're not mad?" Wally had honestly expected a more angry reaction. Something like 'don't you dare do anything like that ever again,' or 'if you ever scare me like that again I'll kill you myself.'

He smirked, "I thought- mmh . . ." Artemis interrupted him with a firm kiss, and he happily sunk into it.

"Are you kidding?" She finally pulled away and cupped Wally's cheeks in her hands. Tears were already streaming down her face, and her smile crinkled the skin near her eyes. "You're alive! How could I possibly be mad about that?"

Wally took that as his cue to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in closer. They naturally tangled their legs around each other. He pressed his lips against her forehead, then rested his chin on top of her head.

"I love you so much, Artemis."

"I love you, too, Wally."

…

Bart woke up after only a few hours of sleep. It wasn't that he wasn't comfortable; sleeping on a real bed with pillows and a fluffy blanket was extremely underrated. He'd stay in this bed forever if he could help it.

But he couldn't sleep. Now that Wally was back and Zoom was gone and he was feeling better, he finally had time and energy to feel embarrassed and guilty about other things. He had a panic attack in front of Superboy, Beast Boy and Robin. He yelled at Artemis. He punched Jaime.

He _punched Jaime._

And then in lieu of an apology, he told Jaime he didn't want to see him anymore, which wasn't true. Seeing Jaime was hard, but not seeing him was hard, too.

" _I thought we lost you, Bart. I'm glad you're … here. I really missed you."_

Bart had wanted to say it back. But instead, he told Jaime to leave. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty about that. He was just protecting himself. Maybe he still should. Bart didn't know if he was ready to reach out to Jaime yet. Maybe they shouldn't be friends. Things were good now, and he knew he didn't need Jaime in his life to be happy.

But, it would definitely make him happi _er_ …

Bart came back to the present with the sound of a knock at the bedroom door. He groaned and rolled over in the bed. He didn't want to ever get up. He was in a _bed._

Why was he in a bed, again?

It took Bart a moment to recall the events of the night before and that morning. It hadn't felt real, but he was definitely still in this bed that he only vaguely remembered being tucked into. He eventually remembered that someone knocked at the door.

"Uhm, come in?" He didn't bother getting up. He pulled the blanket down so it wasn't covering his face anymore, and hugged his pillow tighter. He was too comfortable to move much other than that.

Bart expected to see Wally walk in when the door opened, but instead he was greeted by Artemis.

"Hey, good morning." She smiled and walked in, then sat at the edge of the bed.

"Morning …" Bart said groggily.

"You sleep okay?" She asked.

Bart squeezed the pillow harder and closed his eyes. "So … comfy."

Artemis laughed. "Well, Wally's making food, so, if you ever decide to get out of bed, you can eat something." Then she started to ruffle Bart's hair, but he flinched when she touched him.

His eyes had been closed, so he didn't see her hand reach out. He _liked_ when his hair got ruffled. He _loved_ hugs and cuddles and any kind of simple physical affection. He _hated_ that his instincts refused to let him differentiate between safe touches and dangerous ones, and he automatically felt the need to apologize.

"S-sorry. I don't know why I did that. It's okay if you - I just wasn't expecting-"

"It's okay, Bart." She smiled. "You don't ever have to apologize for that."

He realized then that the last time he saw Artemis, he had yelled at her and stormed off. He sat up against the wall and looked at her curiously.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" It was a genuine question; he had expected her to be angry with him.

"Is it okay if I …" She lifted a hand and gestured to Bart's shoulder, and he nodded. She cautiously put her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes before answering his question. "You're family, Bart."

The hand on his shoulder actually did wonders to relieve some of the tension he still had in them from flinching. It took Bart a minute to let her words sink in. He could deal with having a family again. Artemis waited a few moments, but Bart wasn't able to form any words, so she changed the subject.

"I actually wanted to run something by you, I was going to wait, but I guess now's as good a time as any. Remember Lian?"

"Of course." Bart tilted his head, unsure where this was going.

"Well, Jade's been looking for a babysitter. I can't always do it, and she'd never hire someone someone she didn't know. But, technically, you know Lian, right?" She smirked, proud of the loophole she had found. "So I was going to recommend you, since she actually seemed to really like you. Jade would pay you, of course. You were so good with her before, but I figured I'd ask before saying anything to Jade about it."

Bart knew that was a lie. He made Lian cry when he yelled at Artemis. He was _not_ good with her.

"You would really trust me with her?"

"Of course, Bart. You're a good kid."

"Wow, thanks. Yeah, I'd love that actually." Bart looked up at Artemis sheepishly. "I'm really sorry I yelled at you …"

Artemis just gave Bart's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before standing back up. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go before your cousin eats all the food."

Bart didn't need to be told twice. He was _starving._ In a split second, the bed was made, and Bart gave Artemis a quick super tight hug before zipping away to the kitchen.

He almost knocked Wally over with another super tight hug - the only kind Bart ever gives.

"Good morning, Wally!"

"Careful, Bug, you're lucky I didn't drop the …" At that point, Artemis had come into the room with them, completely distracting Wally from what he was saying. He sped over to kiss her.

And then she kissed him back and it became a whole kissing thing they were doing and Bart had no idea what he was supposed to do while they did that. He distracted himself from the blatant PDA by scarfing down a few waffles and some eggs. As soon as Wally and Artemis stopped for breath, Bart took the opportunity to bring them back to earth. Who knows how long they would have kept that up otherwise?

"Okay, let's go! I'm officially well rested _and_ well nourished, so it'll be a fair race!"

…

"Ugh, come on, Wally! I feel crash, can we just race already? It's still my birthday, you know." Bart gave Wally his best puppy look. He just wanted to _run._ He didn't like the idea of waiting any longer, and he _definitely_ didn't like the idea of having to get a physical from Doctor Midnite to make sure he was in good enough condition to run.

But yet, here he was, standing outside the medical bay of the watchtower, about to do just that.

"We'll race as soon as Doctor Midnite gives you the okay." Wally assured.

Bart sighed, but before he had any more time to protest, the door opened, and Bart reluctantly went inside, leaving Wally waiting on the other end of the door.

After a few minutes, Beast Boy walked by and saw the not-dead-anymore speedster.

"Wally!" he ran into a hug rivaling the intensity of one of Bart's.

"Hey, Gar." Wally laughed. "What was that for?"

"I'm just so glad you're alive!" Gar exclaimed, then pulled away and peaked into the window of the med bay. "Is it really his birthday?" He whispered.

Wally opened his mouth to respond, but the door opened again, and Bart walked out, looking down and dragging his feet.

"I'm so moded! I have to wait two more days." He pouted before looking up and noticing Gar standing with Wally.

"Bart! You look so much better! Happy birthday!"

Bart gave Wally a look, and Wally just shrugged. "Sorry, kid, this one's on you. He heard you say it."

Beast Boy gave the two of them skeptical looks. "Why wouldn't you want people to know?"

Bart laughed nervously. "Um … well, it's not my birthday, not really. Imeantechnicallyitmightbe butwhataretheoddsofthat? Actuallythatwasabadquestionit'soneinthreehundredsixtyfive butthat'sstillprettyunlikely. Ha. Would that be crash, or what? We're just celebrating it today, I guess."

Gar took a moment to put together what Bart had said, he only understood about half of it. One thing he did get was that it was apparently not Bart's birthday.

"Noted. So … you don't know when your birthday is? Does that mean you've never had a birthday party?"

Bart gave a weak half-shrug. "I guess not."

"Oh my gosh," Gar looked horrified at the notion, "we have to have a birthday party for you! I can plan it!" He put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest like Superman.

"I don't know if that's-" Bart started, before Wally cut in.

"Come on, Bart, it'll be fun. It'll take your mind off of waiting for our race, and you'll get to hang out with the team!"

"Yeah, Bart! Besides, have you _really_ lived in this era if you haven't had birthday cake? Or opened birthday presents?"

Bart thought it over for a second, then perked up a bit. He did like the idea of team bonding, since he really hadn't gotten a chance to get to know a lot of them so far. Plus, if he wasn't able to run yet, he'd have to keep himself busy somehow.

He smiled. "Okay, sounds crash. But no presents, okay?" Bart felt weird about everyone buying something for him. It was all a bit overwhelming.

Gar pouted, but took the small victory. "Fine, no presents. We can do it at the California base? We should make it a sleepover! We'll do the whole cake and ice cream thing and we can play games and watch scary movies!"

"Okay." Bart smiled - it did sound like fun. "Go ahead and invite the whole team."

"On it! See you tomorrow!" Then Gar turned into a bird and flew off.

Wally and Bart started to walk over to the zeta tubes, but before they left, Gar flew back, cawing wildly, and almost crashed into them.

"Wait!" He shouted as soon as he was in his human form. "We never set a time!"

… next day …

It was the middle of the day, but Jaime hadn't gotten out of bed, yet. He just laid there staring at the ceiling. Bart was having a birthday party in a few hours, and Jaime somehow got invited.

"He hates me now, why would he invite me to his party?" he said out loud, but the only one listening was the scarab.

[The Impulse did not extend the invitation. That was the Beast Boy, Jaime Reyes. It would be logical to conclude that the invitation was a result of a miscommunication.]

"So, you think I was invited by mistake?"

[Affirmative, Jaime Reyes.]

"Hijole, thanks for the pep talk."

[I am simply being logical. The Impulse made his feelings clear during your last communication.]

"I know. You're right, it wouldn't make any sense. I'll just stay here, then. Wouldn't want to ruin his birthday."

Jaime sighed and rolled over. He pulled the pillow to his face and let out a strangled noise of frustration. The scarab was silent for a while before making his presence known once again.

[The Impulse is being irrational. He does not fully understand the circumstances, yet he refused our attempt to rectify the situation, which is … unfavorable.]

If Jaime was hearing correctly, Khaji Da actually sounded bitter, like he was angry with Bart for shutting them out. He had been showing more and more hints of human emotions lately, but it still always surprised Jaime when it happened.

Did Khaji Da miss Bart, too? It would make sense. Bart was the only one who was never phased by Jaime randomly talking to himself. Bart knew Khaji Da was his own entity, not just some voice in Jaime's head. He was the only one besides Jaime who ever validated Khaji Da, and the only one who never judged Jaime for 'talking to himself.' Bart had every reason to steer clear from them, but they still somehow became best friends.

"It's not his fault," Jaime finally answered. His voice was muffled by the pillow, but he knew it didn't matter.

[It was not your fault either, Jaime Reyes.]

"Are you being serious?"Jaime snapped back. "Claro que fue mi culpa!"

Luckily, a knock at the front door cut the conversation short, and Jaime lazily got himself out of the bed. As he got closer to the door, the knocking got faster. Like, inhumanly fast. Jaime froze when he realized it was probably Bart at the door. He heard a weird clicking noise coming from the scarab, and he wasn't sure exactly what it meant.

"Please, please be cool, Bart's never been a threat to us, okay? He's been through a lot. I don't want you scaring him away, entiendes?"

No answer.

"I'm serious! Tell me you'll be cool?"

[If you do not open the door in 3 seconds, the Impulse will leave.]

Jaime took a deep breath, swallowed the lump in his throat, and opened the door.

Bart was still standing there, but he looked like he was about ready to take off.

"Bart, is everything okay? Do you want to come inside?"

"Um, no thanks. I'll be quick, I'm actually not supposed to be running, so I have to get back before Wally freaks out. It'scrashthoughIbarelyevenran IjustusedthezetatubesandthenI-"

"Sorry, Bart can you slow down? I don't know what you're saying."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm rambling." Bart rocked back and forth on his heels and toes, clearly nervous.

"That's okay. What's going on?"

"Um, you probably heard that I'm having a birthday party today?"

Jaime looked down. "Yeah. I think Gar invited me by accident. No worries. I can just stay home. I, uh, hope you have a good time, though."

"What? No, I want you to come! If you want to, I mean?"

"Really? Why? I mean - you said you weren't ready."

"I know. It's just," he broke eye contact with Jaime and looked at his feet, "I've never had a party before. I've never even been to one. I don't really know anyone else on the team that well. I guess I'm kind of nervous. And you're my best friend, Jaime. It might be weird for a while, but can we just … I don't know, go back, maybe? Will you just come?"

Jaime had to blink a few times to make sure Bart was really there and that he wasn't imagining things. Going back to how things were before was all he wanted. Even if he'd ruined his chances of ever being more than friends, Jaime was just happy Bart was open to being at least that again.

[Say something, Jaime Reyes, or the Bart Allen will retreat.]

"Oh! Yes, please, let's just go back. Of course I'll come to your party."

Then a huge, genuine grin took over Bart's face, and Jaime was not prepared for what happened next. He was surprised that Khaji Da didn't freak out when Bart rushed at them and hugged Jaime tighter than he'd ever been hugged.

Jaime wasn't too surprised to hug back, though. No one had hugged him since he got put on mode, and he hadn't realized until now how badly he needed one.

"I missed you too …" Bart murmured, barely audibly.

Then they both felt a soft hum coming from the scarab, almost like it was _purring._ Only then did Bart pull away, looking slightly alarmed.

"What does that mean? He's not gonna go all murder mode, is he?"

Khaji Da chose a funny time to go silent.

"No, he's _not._ " Jaime practically scolded. But he knew it was true. He could tell that Khaji Da was relaxed. "I think … I think he liked the hug? Which is weird. He hates hugs. He doesn't usually like people in my space. Especially when it come as a surprise, like how that did." Jaime laughed.

"Oh, sorry about that, scarab. I guess I just got kind of excited." Bart rubbed the back of his neck and scuffed one of his feet on the ground. He seemed suddenly embarrassed.

"It's cool. His name's Khaji Da, by the way."

"Really? Well, sorry Khaji Da."

"Yup. He told me after we …" After they went off mode. But Jaime didn't want to mention that to Bart. "Um, after we came back."

"Crash." Luckily, Bart didn't seem put off in the slightest. "Anyways, I have to go. I'll see you there?"

"See you there."

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Translations

Hijole- sort of like 'jeez'

Claro que fue mi culpa- of course it was my fault

Entiendes?- do you understand?

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 **AN: AHH so close to being done! Only one more chapter, and then an epilogue. Thank you so much for putting up with me through this wild story!**


	25. Bart the Birthday Boy

**AN: sorry for the long wait. Personal life has been pretty trying lately.**

 **I actually couldn't fit the party all in one chapter, so looks like there will be at least one more chapter after this before the epilogue!**

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[That is not an acceptable gift for the Bart Allen.]

Jaime sighed and put down the game he'd been looking at. He only had another two hours before Bart's party, and he had no idea what to get for him. He had already walked around practically the entire mall looking for the right thing. Beast Boy said no presents, but he and Bart were best friends, or, at least, they were getting there again. He figured that rule didn't apply to him. He wanted to get something nice, but didn't want to cross any boundaries by getting something _too_ nice, since they were just barely starting to be friends again.

"Ohhkay, so what _is_ an acceptable gift?"

[Unknown. It is advisable for you to eat something, Jaime Reyes. Proper nourishment may help to make a more rational and informed decision.]

"Can't argue with that." Jaime's stomach growled as he made his way over to the food court, and walked towards the new Chicken Whizzies fast food restaurant.

He had really been craving chicken whizzies since Bart made a habit of stealing his every chance he got. Now that they were friends again, Jaime would have to stock up. Unfortunately, when he stopped in front of the restaurant, he saw it was closed. A quick peek inside told him they were filming some kind of advertisement.

Jaime almost tripped over himself when he saw a phony Blue Beetle inside. The fake Blue Beetle was taking photos while holding various chicken whizzie products.

[That costume will not fool anyone. That is clearly an imposter.]

"I know, Khaji… but I think I just got an idea."

…

If there was one thing about being a speedster that Bart never got the memo about, it was that they were apparently always late. Bart couldn't wrap his head around why that was. He hated being late, and he especially didn't want to be late to his first ever birthday party. Unfortunately, social anxiety made the idea of showing up alone much more terrifying than showing up late, so he waited for Wally and Artemis to finish 'getting ready.' Waiting was pure torture, especially for Bart. Wally insisted that it was good to be 'fashionably late' to your own party, but Bart doubted that that was even a thing.

Finally, after what felt like hours (but was probably only a few minutes) of waiting in agony, they all zeta-ed over to the California base, where Bart's party was happening.

When they got to the base, Bart was surprised to see almost the entire team already there. Even some of the younger league members showed up, including Zatanna, Rocket, and Billy. Everyone looked like they were already having a great time. There was music playing, and Beast Boy, M'gann, Mal and La'gaan were having some kind of dance-off. It looked like they teamed up; M'gann and Gar versus La'gaan and Mal. Karen was hunched over laughing while she watched Mal try to show off for her. Everyone else sat on the couches, eating pizza and watching the dance-off or just talking. Even with everything that had just happened, there didn't seem to be any tension in the room. La'gaan and M'gann were having a freaking _dance off,_ for crying out loud.

Bart liked seeing the team like this. They never really got to let loose on missions, and it was nice to see them having such a good time. He only wished he didn't feel so out of place in all the fun. He also noticed that Connor, Cassie, Tim, Virgil, and Jaime were either not here yet, or were somewhere else in the base. Bart took in all this information before the zeta tube even finished announcing their arrival.

As soon as they were announced, everyone turned to Bart and enthusiastically shouted "happy birthday!" Then Beast Boy ran over to Bart and grabbed him by the arm.

"Come on! I'll give you the birthday tour." Bart let Gar pull him along to different areas of the base. Beast Boy had clearly put a lot of effort into planning this party on such short notice.

"The food's all in here - you like pizza, right?" Gar asked as they walked past the kitchen area.

"Yeah, pizza's crash."

Gar smiled and led Bart down a hallway to the training room, which had been completely cleared out to make room for a giant bounce castle! Cassie, Tim, Virgil, and Connor were all jumping around and rough housing. Still no sign of Jaime.

"Zatanna charmed it so it wouldn't break, even with Kon and Cassie in there! Pretty cool, right?"

"Now _that_ is crash."

"I know! I have some other stuff planned, but that's a surprise. For now, we have pizza, dancing, and a bounce castle. Take your pick!" Gar grinned wide, clearly proud of himself, and with good reason.

"Pizza." Bart grinned back. He was still a little too anxious to join in on the dancing, or the rough housing, but he figured pizza and maybe some small talk was less intimidating. He zipped over to the kitchen and grabbed a few slices, then found a spot on the couch near Wally.

Wally immediately scooted over to make some room for Bart. He was sitting with Nightwing, Kaldur, and Batgirl. Artemis had gone off to catch up with Zatanna and Rocket. Kaldur was actually the first to speak, even though he and Bart had never had a conversation before, aside from the fight they got in when Kaldur was undercover.

"Bart, I've been meaning to speak with you, I have something that I think may be of some value to you." He picked up a bag that was at his feet and reached inside.

"Really?" Bart asked.

Wally rubbed a hand down his face. "Kaldur, he said no presents."

"I am aware. Consider it a loan, then? You can return it to me once you've finished reading. Or not, it makes no difference to me. Nightwing gave me this book when I started coming to the surface world, so I suppose you can say it's from the both of us."

Nightwing nodded at Bart with a grin as Kaldur continued, "It helped me a great deal to understand the ways of humans here. I thought it might be of some use to you, as I'm sure coming to this time may have been a culture shock for you as well." Then he pulled a thick book out of his bag and handed it to Bart.

"Wow, thanks, Kaldur!" It was a pop culture encyclopedia.

Batgirl laughed, "Kaldur, that's from 2009."

"Hey! It's better than nothing. No offense, kid, but I'm not sure anyone really understands your future lingo," Dick teased.

"Really, Nightwing? That's coming from the guy who has an irrational fear of prefixes?" Wally laughed and shoved Dick's shoulder.

Nightwing just waved away the comment with a smirk. "Anyways, Bart, I hope you're gruntled with the the book."

Bart couldn't help but laugh. "I am. You really didn't have to get me something… but thank you, this is really crash, you guys." Bart was actually blushing. He really wasn't used to this kind of attention. He hadn't even wanted any presents, but it felt really nice to know that someone had thought about him long enough to get him something.

 _Recognized: Blue Beetle, B22_

Bart jumped up and gave Aqualad and Nightwing each a quick BartHug™ before zipping over to the zeta tubes to greet Jaime. He was about to give Jaime a hug, too, but stopped himself for some reason. He mentally cursed himself for making it weird before he settled for an awkward shoulder tap.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to-" Jaime was interrupted with an announcement from Gar.

"Present time!" He shouted, holding something behind his back

"What? I thought we weren't doing presents?" Bart wanted to shrink away into the floor. He liked the book, but he didn't know if he could handle a moment like that with every single team member.

"I know, I know. But I just thought… maybe just, one present? I think you'll want to make an exception for _this_ present." Gar looked like he was about to burst out laughing.

Jaime and Bart exchanged a nervous look, and Beast Boy pulled out a wrapped gift from behind his back and held it out for Bart. It looked to be the size of a shoe box.

Bart opened the gift at super speed, and pulled out a pair of Heelies.

"Crash!" Bart was about to put them on when Wally sped over to his side.

"Uh, I hate to be the responsible adult here, but unless you actually want to crash, like, hard, you should probably wait until Dr. Midnite clears you to run."

"Fine." Bart pouted, and put the Heelies back in the box, for now. "Any other surprise presents I should know about?"

The room was mostly silent. After a few moments, Jaime rubbed the back of his neck and spoke, barely audibly.

"Actually… yeah, I got you something, too. That's why I was late."

This time, Bart was nothing but excited, and he couldn't hide the huge grin on his face.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's, um, kind of silly but…" he reached into his backpack and pulled out another large book, but this one was more floppy, like a phone book. Bart raised an eyebrow.

"It's a coupon book. It's pretty much a lifetime supply of chicken whizzies. Plus, you'll get a monthly shipment. But I figured the shipment wouldn't last you a whole month, since you're, you know, you. The coupons are for when you run out. So, now you have no excuse for stealing my chicken whizzies, _entiendes_? Ooph-"

This time Bart didn't hesitate to rush into a quick hug, startling Jaime.

"Okay, Jaime. I won't steal your chicken whizzies anymore, promise."

…

After Jaime arrived, Bart was able to let loose a little more. Things were still a little awkward at times, but Bart felt a lot more comfortable with Jaime here. He felt like a little kid following Wally around, especially since Wally was mostly hanging around the older heroes, but he didn't feel as weird tagging along with Jaime.

They played around in the bounce castle for a while, and even danced for a bit. Gar started another two-on-two dance tournament. Bart and Jaime partnered up, although they were one of the first pairs to be eliminated, since neither of them had an ounce of rhythm. Bart was thoroughly entertained just watching, though. It turns out there were quite a few talented dancers on the team! Billy, Raquel, and Cassie were all surprisingly good!

It eventually all came down to one final battle. Dick and Wally vs. Artemis and Zatanna.

Wally and Zatanna were decent, they both had a nice groove and good musicality, but it was Dick and Artemis who blew everyone away.

Dick's style of choice was vogue, and he was _amazing_ at it. He was flexible enough to contort himself into obscure and angular poses, and he somehow did it on beat. Everyone jumped out of their seats when he did a backflip into a death drop like it was nothing. Then he got up without even breaking a sweat. He made a 'bring it on' gesture to Artemis, who just rolled her eyes, somehow unimpressed..

Apparently, Artemis was a b-girl! She pulled out a variety of power moves that Bart had no idea what to call. She threaded her limbs in and out and around herself, hopped on her hands, and somehow hit nearly every beat in the music. She made Bart notice subtle rhythms that he wouldn't have heard if she didn't move to them. Finally, she started doing freaking headspins, and somehow caught herself mid-spin in an upside down pose. Everyone collectively lost their shit, screaming and whistling loud enough to be heard from outside the sound-proof base. After a long tiebreaker round, Artemis and Zatanna came out as the undisputed winners.

Once the overwhelming energy from the dance-off calmed down a bit, a big paper mache ball lowered itself from the ceiling and floated in the air just low enough for Bart to reach.

Gar threw an arm around a confused Bart, "You ever heard of a piñata?"

"Nope."

"It's a birthday tradition. There's candy inside, and you have to hit it with a bat till it breaks. First you put on a blindfold and spin around, then try and find it and smash the candy out of it."

Bart tried to sound uninterested, but he was clearly tense. "Um, can I maybe pass on this one? I'll just watch, if that's okay." He hadn't noticed that he had been grabbing onto Jaime's arm until Jaime put a gentle hand on Bart's shoulder to ground him. Then Jaime turned to Gar, leaving his hand on Bart's shoulder.

" _Hermano_ , maybe take out the blindfold part?"

Gar's eyes widened as he realized how bad of an idea the blindfolds were.

"Oh! Yeah, no blindfolds! That's totally not even a necessary thing, Bart, no worries."

Zatanna whispered something to Gar, who lit up at whatever it was she said. Then she muttered a spell under her breath, and cleared her throat.

"No blindfolds, I just added an even better twist. Everyone line up!"

Bart was a little embarrassed, but he was glad they were being accommodating and not making a big deal out of it.

"Everyone gets exactly ten seconds to try to break the piñata. You can use your powers, and anything else you can think of to try to break it, as long as you don't ruin the base. When it breaks, grab as much candy as you can, it's a free for all. Birthday boy goes last! Them's the rules." Beast Boy announced.

Bart grinned and made his way to the back of the line, slightly relieved that he wouldn't have to have a turn, with the entire team ahead of him in the lineup.

Bart got more and more nervous as he watched person after person attempt, but fail to break the piñata. Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl used various gadgets to no avail. Wally tried to vibrate through it, but it wouldn't budge. Even Superboy and Wondergirl could barely manage to make a dent.

Inevitably, Bart's turn eventually came. He was stumped. He had no ideas to try to break this thing. Jaime handed him the bat after failing to break the candy filled sphere. Bart took the bat in shaky hands, and decided to just go for it. He backed up all the way to the wall, took a running start, and swung with all his might.

And it broke.

A shower of candy covered Bart, and the team swarmed over to try to get as much as they could. After recovering from the shock of actually breaking the thing, he used his speed to get to as much candy as he could.

He and Wally were on the same page. They both had time to pick up candy, unwrap it, and eat it before anyone else got to it. It really ended up a competition between just Wally and Bart for who could eat the most candy. By the time anyone got to where the candy should have fallen, Wally and Bart were both laying on the floor, rubbing their bellies. And there was no candy left.

Bart didn't feel bad. It was his party, and he could eat all the candy if he wanted to.

Gar tried his best to hide his disappointment at the lack of candy. "Uhhh, I should have seen that coming… just, promise to leave some cake and ice cream for the rest of us?"

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Entiendes?- do you understand?

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 **AN: so I always pictured Artemis as a b-girl for some reason, and no one can ever convince me Dick doesn't vogue lol. Can you tell I used to be a street dancer from this chapter? :p I had a lot of fun with this one I hope it was worth the wait!**


	26. Promise

_**AN: so sorry for the wait :( life has been kicking my butt. But this is the last chapter! There will be an epilogue after this, and then it's done! If you're here thank you so much for still coming back after all this time.**_

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After a poorly harmonized team chorus of the happy birthday song, everyone got their fill of cake and ice cream. For once, Bart didn't fake his way through any smiles or laughs. He didn't feel like he was putting on a character to keep anyone from really seeing him. Despite the fact that everyone in the room now knew more about him than he'd ever wanted to share, Bart was comfortable. Even if it was just in this moment, he was comfortable with this group of people, and with himself. No masks.

Gar came in the room with a giant poster that folded in half. He stood in front of everyone and held it out for Bart. It was almost as tall as he was.

"Soo I know you said no presents, but we already broke that rule. Plus, technically this isn't a present! It's a birthday card, and it's from all of us!"

Bart took the giant card and opened it up. Every single team member, plus Barry, Jay and Joan, had all written him a personalized message and signed it. Some of the messages were short and sweet, and others were entire paragraphs. Bart read them all in the span of about a second, blushing. He never had any friends in the past- he never even knew anyone close to his own age. He'd never been surrounded by people who cared about him before, and it was overwhelming.

"This is… I…" Bart felt his voice crack, and his tear ducts leaked a tiny bit, but it didn't matter.

Garfield's eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, we thought you would like-"

"No! It's.. it's really crash. I love it!" Bart interrupted, and hugged Gar as tight as he could. Gar let out a sigh of relief. Bart wiped his eyes, then gave everyone else on the team super quick hugs for the messages they had all written.

…

Time went by quickly, and before everyone knew it, it was getting late and they were getting tired. Still, they all insisted on watching at least one scary movie before going to bed. Bart had never seen one, after all. After a bit of arguing, everyone agreed on the first Paranormal Activity movie. Since Bart hadn't seen any of the movies that were being suggested, Jaime made it a point to make sure they were being smart about their movie choice. It had to be something that was scary, but without anything that could be triggering for Bart. No gore, minimal violence, and absolutely no torture. Paranormal Activity seemed like a good choice.

Bart wedged himself on the couch between Jaime and Wally to watch the movie. It had been a long day, so Jaime felt himself dozing off about a half hour into the movie. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Bart snatched his hand in a freaking death grip, and Jaime jolted awake.

"Ay!" He shouted, luckily during a jump scare, so he wasn't the only one to yell.

[Fear not, Jaime Reyes. This is a work of fiction.]

"I know that!" Jaime snapped, "I was-"

"Shh!" Annoyed looks from a few team members shut Jaime right up. He sunk further into the couch, embarrassed. Sometimes he forgot that people could hear him talking to Khaji. He had to get the hang of responding mentally instead of out loud.

 _*Khaji, did you not notice that I was falling asleep? Bart woke me up when he grabbed my hand. That's what I was reacting to.*_

[I was busy, Jaime Reyes.]

 _*Doing_ what _?*_

Just then, another jump scare caused Bart to squeeze Jaime's hand even harder. Jaime looked at Bart to see his eyes were glued to the screen, as wide as they could get. He looked like he was holding his breath. Jaime wouldn't be surprised if Bart didn't blink at all the whole movie.

[Taunting a demon is unwise. The 'Micah' will no doubt be the first human to be eliminated.]

So Khaji Da was too 'busy' watching the movie to notice that Jaime was falling asleep, or that Bart grabbed his hand hard enough to wake him up. Jaime couldn't help but laugh.

"Shh!" Half the team scolded.

"You 'shh!'" Bart snapped back, somehow frustrated with the team instead of with Jaime for disrupting the movie. Then Bart leaned a little closer to Jaime and whispered, "what's funny?"

"Khaji Da's commentary," Jaime whispered back. Bart nodded with an amused look, like he was trying to imagine what Khaji Da had said. Jaime didn't want to get shushed again, so he gestured towards the screen so Bart would focus on the movie instead.

Bart's grip on Jaime's hand got tighter and tighter as the movie went on. Wally (and almost everyone else) had fallen asleep by the time the movie was halfway over. Bart scooted closer and closer to Jaime to satisfy an illusion of protection from the demon in the movie, still crushing Jaime's hand in his grip.

When the movie ended, Bart finally let go.

"Ow, I didn't know how tight I was grabbing on, I can't even feel my hand!" Bart opened and closed his fist a few times.

"You're telling me…" Jaime cradled his own hand just to be dramatic, though he wasn't quite as dramatic as Khaji Da, who was now advising him to put ice on it.

Bart laughed, "Sorry, it was scary, I couldn't help it!"

"That's okay. Next time I watch a scary movie with you I'll just make sure to armor up first." Jaime grinned and pushed Bart's shoulder playfully.

Bart laughed again, and Wally groaned at the noise and stretched out in his sleep, essentially kicking both Jaime and Bart off the couch. That's when they realized they were the only ones still awake. All of the couches were filled and surrounded by sleeping heroes.

"You tired yet?" Jaime asked around a yawn.

"Not that tired. But you are." Bart sped off and came back an instant later with a couple of blankets and pillows. He laid them on the ground since all the couches in the base were taken.

"Want me to try and stay up?" Jaime asked, ignoring Khaji Da's insistence that Jaime should get a full night's sleep. Still, Jaime couldn't help but lay down and rest his head on the pillow.

"If you can, I won't be falling asleep any time soon, though. Not after that movie."

Jaime suspected it might be more than just the movie keeping Bart up, but he went along with it.

"I can't make any promises, but I can _try_ to stay up with you?" Jaime sat back up. He would definitely be falling asleep if he kept his head on the pillow. "Just, talk to me, or ask me questions or something so I don't fall asleep." Bart perked up at the offer of someone to stay up with him.

Apparently, Bart still had a lot of questions about this era. And a lot of questions about Jaime. Jaime spent the next couple of hours satisfying every one of Bart's curiosities from modern music to holidays to folktales. He talked about his own family and about Khaji Da and his culture.

Bart talked a lot, too, when he ran out of questions. They exchanged stories, mostly happy ones. Bart told Jaime about Nathaniel and Psimon and Lian. He told Jaime about his new potential babysitting gig, and how excited he was to get to babysit one of his heroes. He told Jaime about his previous 'birthdays' with Wally, and how crash this particular birthday celebration was.

It took a while before Bart realized how much information he was sharing. "I don't really know why I'm telling you all this…" Bart let himself fall onto his back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling.

"It's something about late night conversations." Jaime answered. "The later it gets, the harder it is to keep secrets. I guess you could call it a sort of tradition." Jaime smiled, then followed Bart's example of laying down on his back.

"So what are your secrets then? I told you a lot that no one else really knows, but all you've told me is stuff everyone besides me already knows. You owe me, like, three secrets. At least." Bart smirked and scooted closer so they could whisper and stay out of earshot of prying ears, just in case anyone woke up.

Without even having to think about it, Jaime blurted something out that he didn't realize he'd been wanting to share.

"The team doesn't like me much. I mean, they've always given me weird looks for talking to myself, and they kept their distance before. Well, except for you. But after going on mode… I don't know, I think everyone's mad at me. Or scared of me. And how could I blame them? I've been thinking that maybe I should leave the team…"

"Hey, I'm on the team, and I like you! But I get it, I didn't think they liked me either. I mean, I _know_ a lot of them didn't. They didn't trust me, so I get what you mean. But if you leave, then I'll be the one left out. It'd be crash if you stayed. We can be moded outcasts together!" Bart flashed spirit fingers to emphasize 'together,' trying to lighten the mood.

"Ay, don't say moded, _carnal_. But okay, I'll stay on the team."

"Crash!" Bart did a small fist pump, making Jaime chuckle. "But you still owe me two more secrets." It didn't surprise Jaime that Bart wanted to change the subject. Jaime being moded was probably the last thing either of them should be talking about.

Jaime thought for a moment. "Okay. Um, I don't know if this counts as a secret, but… I'm really glad we're friends again. I still think of you as my best friend, in case you didn't know…"

Bart smiled wide. "Me too, Jaime. But you're right," then his smile turned to a smug grin, "that doesn't count as a secret, I already knew that."

"Right," Jaime laughed, then thought again for a bit. "um… I can't really think of any more secrets right now." Bart pouted, so Jaime continued. "But, I'm an open book. You can ask me whatever you want to know?"

"Hmmm…" Bart grinned mischievously and rubbed his hands together the way one might imagine a supervillain would, "tell me about your most embarrassing moment."

"There are way too many to narrow down to just one," Jaime laughed nervously.

Bart looked even more intrigued now. "Top 5 then."

" _Ay en que lios me he metido_ ," Jaime mumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose, "If I tell you, you'll just laugh at me and wake everyone up!"

"No I won't! I can laugh quietly." Bart said with a shit-eating grin.

"Ay, no. I don't want you laughing at me at all!" Jaime tried to act serious, but he was having a hard time holding back a smile. If he was being honest, he was more than happy to be having this conversation with Bart, even if it meant he would get laughed at.

"Okay, okay, I'm a master of self control! I won't laugh."

Jaime gave Bart a skeptical look. Somehow he had a hard time believing that. Before he could say anything, Bart held out his pinky.

Jaime blinked a couple of times before looking up from Bart's pinky. Bart's face was solemn now. An outsider might think Bart just took pinky promises very seriously, but Jaime knew better.

When Jaime taught Bart about pinky promises, Jaime pinky promised that he would never hurt Bart.

Then they kissed.

Then Jaime and Khaji Da lost control to the Reach, and Bart was almost killed because of it. Just thinking about it made Jaime want to cry.

So why would Bart offer a pinky promise? Jaime would have thought that pinky promises, or even promises in general between them would be forever tainted, considering Jaime broke his promise in the worst way possible. Maybe this was Bart's way of saying it was okay? Was this some kind of gesture of peace? A way of acknowledging what happened without letting it get in the way of their friendship? Even if Jaime blamed himself for what happened to Bart, maybe this meant that Bart didn't blame him. That they could truly start over. Then again, maybe Jaime was just overthinking it, and it was just a pinky promise?

Bart kept his pinky out patiently.

[The Bart Allen is expecting a response to this gesture, Jaime Reyes.] Khaji sounded rather annoyed, and it brought Jaime back to the present.

"Bart… I…" Jaime stuttered. He couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

"It's okay." Bart retracted his pinky, folding his hands in his lap. He chewed on his lip for a moment before speaking again. "You know, in the future, we had something different than a pinky promise. Can I show you?"

Jaime nodded.

"This is the sign for 'promise.'" Bart put his right index finger to his lips, then balled his left fist, and moved his right palm to meet the thumb side of his fist, keeping his palm open. "Where I come from, you do it like this." Bart put his index finger to his lips again, then held out his open palm towards Jaime, "this is like, me offering a promise. And if you put your fist in my palm, that's you accepting it. Like you're saying you trust me." Bart kept his palm out, smiling. "So, I won't laugh at you. Promise."

Jaime smiled back and put his fist in Bart's palm, and he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. _This_ was the fresh start. Bart let out a breath, too, as if he wasn't sure that Jaime would do it.

"We can start using this one instead," Bart said, "but, um… I did like some of the rules for your pinky promise thing…"

"The rules? I-" before Jaime could finish his thought, Bart's lips were on his lips. And before he could process it, they weren't. It happened so fast that Jaime couldn't be sure if it had happened at all. Jaime must have taken a bit too long to process, because Bart started rambling.

"OhmygoshI'msorryIshouldn'thavedonethat," and he literally ran off.

"What… just happened?" Jaime said to himself, still frozen.

[The Bart Allen's motivations for retreating are unclear. I will scan the area for the Bart Allen.]

Bart had to still be in the base, since the zeta tubes never announced him leaving. Jaime sat without moving, still in shock. At least Khaji Da was keeping up with the situation.

When Jaime finally processed what the heck just happened, he got up to follow Bart. After a quick scan from Khaji Da, he found Bart laying down in the bounce castle. Bart didn't get up when Jaime climbed inside with him. Instead, he hid by covering his face with his arm.

"I guess now you know _my_ most embarrassing moment…" Bart said when he heard Jaime sit down next to him.

"Will you look at me?" Jaime asked softly. Bart reluctantly pulled his arm away from his face and sat up, leaning against the wall of the bounce house. He still didn't look at Jaime, though. Bart spoke with his sights on the ground.

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm not good at this stuff, but, I don't know… I liked when you first kissed me. I guess I thought it would be crash if we tried that again. I thought maybe you still felt the same way, but I know things are different now…"

Jaime answered by cupping the sides of Bart's face with his hands. That got Bart to look up, and as soon as Bart looked him in the eye, Jaime returned the kiss. He leaned in slowly, so Bart would have plenty of time to see it coming. He didn't want Bart to be caught off guard like he was.

After a moment, Bart relaxed into the kiss, and they let it sink in before either of them moved away. When Jaime finally pulled away, Bart leaned forward, like there was a magnet pulling him towards Jaime. Bart's eyes were still closed for a brief moment before he opened them. He let out a shaky breath, like he had been holding it until that moment.

"I do feel the same way," Jaime said, his hands still cupping Bart's cheeks, "but things _are_ different now… Maybe we should figure out what that means."

"What is there to figure out?" Bart pulled Jaime's hands from his cheeks and held them carefully. "I love you, Jaime. I love you as my best friend, and I think - I think I might love you in another way, too. Either way, I'm definitely not afraid of you, if that's what you're worried about."

"I… Bart, I love you too… but I…" Jaime sighed, stalling. He let go of one of Bart's hands, and shifted so he was sitting next to Bart with his back against the wall. "Blue Beetle did terrible things to you. Out of everyone, you should be the one who's most afraid of me. But you say you're not, and… I believe you, but, are you sure you don't need more time?"

"I thought I would. I thought being around you would be harder, but it's not. I think it's because out of everyone, you're the only one that actually gets it. You were as much a captive as I was, and people should have been just as worried about you as they were for me. It's not right, what happened to either of us. Anyone who gives you a hard time for what the Reach did to you is just a jerk, and I have no problem telling them if you want me to. Just because someone was using you as their puppet doesn't mean _you_ hurt anyone. It was always the Reach. I was never scared of _you,_ Jaime."

Bart never broke eye contact, his green eyes more intense than Jaime had ever seen them. Jaime knew he was serious. Bart was the only one who actually thought about how Jaime would have felt being out of control of his own body. Other than Black Canary, Bart was the only one to even acknowledge it. And honestly? Jaime had been so worried about Bart that he put off thinking about his own trauma caused by the Reach. He had no idea how to respond to it actually being brought up. Knowing that Bart, of all people, never blamed him for any of it felt unreal. And unbelievably good.

"Thank you…" he finally managed, "I really needed to hear that."

"It's the truth. Moded Blue Beetle might have been scary, but Jaime Reyes? You couldn't be scary if you wanted to be." Bart gave a reassuring smile, and Jaime let out a small laugh.

"I just don't want to rush into anything. Can we maybe take it slow?"

"Hey, don't let my powers fool you," Bart yawned, "I can do slow." Then he leaned his head on Jaime's shoulder, and fell asleep.

… race day …

"You nervous?" Wally asked as he and Bart made their way to the starting line, "I'm not as slow as I used to be." He grinned.

"Nope!" Bart said with confidence, eyes set straight ahead. Bart was too excited to be nervous. Running at his top speed was never something he'd been allowed to do. He still hadn't even figured out just how fast he could really go.

"On your mark!" Barry called out from next to the starting line. Bart was so pumped that the words sounded like they came out in slow motion.

He could finally run as fast as he could, and around the entire world! Bart doubted he was faster than Wally after coming back from the speed force, but that didn't matter. He was going to run through snow, the desert, the rainforest…

"Get set!"

He was going to run on water! Okay, maybe he was a little nervous, but it wasn't because he wanted to win. This was never about winning, it was about proving a point. That he could do this. That he wasn't afraid to _move_ anymore.

It was about _running_. Really running.

It was about being free.

"Go!"

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 _Carnal- sort of like friend/buddy/mate_

 _Ay en que lios me he metido- what did I get myself into_

* * *

 ** _The comments that I've gotten since the last chapter really motivated me to finally finish this. Yall really don't know how much your words mean to me thank you all so much!_**

 ** _If you have anything you want to see in the epilogue, please let me know! I have a lot of it planned out already, but I'm open to suggestions!_**


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